Fun with Frosting

We purchased a Gingerbread House kit from Albertson's a while back and finally got around to completing it last night. We had a lot of fun and took pics to share. Here are a few of them.

Less than a week....

We are less than 1 week away from Christmas and the excitment is building. There are still a lot of things to do but it is a fun time of year. I'm excited to see the kids Christmas morning as they open their presents. I'm excited to see family and just hang around and enjoy the company. I can't wait to see everyone.

The last couple of months have been really hectic between working 2 jobs and trying to maintain a family, house, etc. Christmas is one of those times where you can focus on something different. It's a time where you can sit back and just enjoy each other, play games, have some food, and just be together.

So, as we get closer, take a moment to breath in the season. Listen to a carol or two, sing along if you are so inclined, and just enjoy as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

In the immortal words of Tiny Tim, "God Bless Us, Everyone."

Enjoying the FM 100 Mini-Concerts

Tis the season!! I'm pretty sure that most of you are aware that FM 100, here in Salt Lake City do these Mini-Concerts at the ZCMI Mall, downtown. Anyway, I have pretty much listened to them since I usually forget the 8:30am start time. There are some pretty good concerts, the include artists like Peter Breinholt, Jon Schmidt, Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band, and Donny Osmond to name a few. mostly local bands. Today's concert is going to be good, Voice Male is scheduled to perform. Well it's good and all the concerts I've heard are pretty good and they are all about a half hour long. If you want to listen in go to FM 100 and the listing is there. Enjoy.

Catching up With Old Friends

So this last couple of days has been pretty cool. I got a call from a friend from the college days in Logan. We talked for like 20 minutes and then I decided to email an old friend of mine. It's been nice to talk to the old friends. One of these days I'm going to have a party and invite all of these friends, sort of a reunion. It's good to hear all the good, and unfortunately there is always some bad too. But seems like everyone is doing well and life is good for most people. So I would encourage you that if you haven't talked to an old friend that you've been trying to get a hold of, just do it, find out if your friends are still around and what they are up to these days. It's a good thing to do around the holidays. Merry Christmas.

What's wrong with the truth?

I have to complain for a minute. I got an e-mail the other day from "family" (I use the term loosely because it's on the wife's side, I've never met this particular person, nor do we converse with the exception of recently and mostly to argue.) Anyway, the picture is and the e-mail stated that it was a "once in a 3000 year event" and it leads you to believe that "miracles" have happened just by viewing this picture.


Now, I've seen this many times in my e-mail over the years with the same "crap" comments and description. Here are the facts. (1) This image WAS taken by the Hubble Telescope as stated in the e-mail EXCEPT it is a mosaic of 9 images; (2) The image is of a white dwarf that is going dead. It ejects a bunch of "debris" or material that creates an hourglass type look. If you were to look at it from the side, it would look like an hour glass. Look at the next image and see if you can see what I mean.
(3) The e-mail makes little to no reference to specifics on miracles but Google can't find any that are actually attributed to viewing this image. The event photographed could be considered a universal miracle just like a rose is a miracle or puppies (if you like puppies. If you don't like puppies, well, get over yourself... They are a miracle.)

Okay. Now that I've said that, DON'T ARGUE WITH THE TRUTH!!!!! That description is TRUTH. Like it or not, it is. Me telling you the truth is not being arguementative, it is TELLING THE TRUTH!!!!! It is dispelling a rumor that is CRAP! How stupid are you going to feel if you never get corrected and continue to believe something stupid, then at a dinner party when someone brings up the Helix Nebulae, you say something stupid like, "Ya, its too bad something like that won't happen again in our grandchildren's lifetime" and get laughed out of the party. How bad would that be?

I know this particular incident is not a really big deal but stupid things like "I know a girl who's friend's cousin's roommate had an aquaintance that heard that you could lick an envelope and get cockroach eggs imbedded in your tongue where they will grow and cause your tongue to explode." (You may laugh but this really did circulate the internet for a while. Check This Out.)

So, if you send me something and I send you something back stating it is wrong or needs clarification, LIVE WITH IT. I'm a Skeptic. Get over yourself and your ego. If you find information to the contrary of what I send, forward it to me. If I'm wrong, I'LL ADMIT IT but you have to prove it first. (With real information that can be supported with valid documentation.)

Anyway, I feel better. How about you?

Always check Walmart, first......

So I feel really stupid. Over the course of the last month or so, I have spent some time on eBay shopping and bidding. On several occasions, I have found really good deals. One deal, as I found out, was not so good. Don't get me wrong, the product was good but was it worth what was paid. Here's the scenario.

We are in the process of buying stuff for my 2 youngest daughters. We are going to decorate their room in "Disney Princesses." I found a really neat poster for their room that was only 99 cents. Well, not thinking about it, I purchased. I went through the motions for shipping and handling and all that other fun stuff that goes along with purchasing online.

By the time I got done, my total was $9.97. I felt a little discouraged but still feel that I got a pretty good deal. The poster arrived today and is exactly what I expected. Now, to frame it. On my lunch, I went to Walmart to get a 24"x36" frame. As I wandered the store, I found their posters of which the one I just purchased for $9.97 was with it. They were only ........ $3.96.

Guess you can't win them all.

A Little Disappointed

Last night myself, Chels, and a couple of our friends attended the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. It included special guests Renee Fleming and Claire Bloom. Let me just say that it wasn't the normal Christmas Concert by the Mo Tab that we are used to. It seemed like it was more of the Renee Fleming concert with the Mo Tab backing her up. We are used to seeing the choir do some of their normal Christmas music, like Joy to the World, and we didn't get to see that. I guess my biggest complaint is that the Special Guest, a.k.a. Headliner, took up most of the show and we didn't get to enjoy the awesome sounds of the Choir and Orchestra. Don't get me wrong the concert was good, just not as good as I expected it to be. Claire Bloom was good, she read a couple stories, on included the clicking sound of her earrings on the microphone that was attached to her ear. She would shake her head and you could hear the clicking sound and it made for a small enough distraction that you could loose your place in the story she was telling. I'm hoping that next year they move back to having a Special Guest join them on a couple of numbers and not inviting a Headliner to take over the concert.

Let Their be Peace on Earth

I want to echo B's comments from his blog Go tell it on the mountain...... Christmas is the best time of the year, most stressful, and sometimes really annoying, but it is a cool time of the year. The one month a year that people spend extra time on the weekends putting up lights and decorations to celebrate this joyous season. I myself get excited because of the fact that we are getting the kids a lot of cool things, learning toys mind you, but they will be loved. So I decided that Santa gets all the glory on Christmas morning in the kids eyes. We are going to get our kids some clothes, but those are from Mom and Dad and not from Santa, he gets to be "awesome" and give the cool toys. Aside from Santa and toys and decorations, I love Christmas because of the Savior. There is a reason for the season and it is nice to remember that at this time of year. He lives and cares for us and gave us the best gift we could possibly ever receive in this life. Let's not forget Him in all the stress and fun that comes with this glorious time of year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Go tell it on the mountain.....

I just have to say that Christmas music is awesome. I just like how a genre can unite so many different types of groups, plus its a lot of fun to listen to as well. Some songs make you think, others make you laugh, some make you shed a tear but they all have one thing in common, we only listen to them 1 month a year but we can still sing with them each year having not heard them in 11 months.

So, as I sit here listening to Christmas music, I want to say "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year." I hope that you are enjoying the Christmas holidays and the music playing everywhere to celebrate this time of year.

SOOOOO COOOLLL!!!

Check out this link. This is one of the neatest things I've seen put to music and must have taken a lot of time.

Thanksgiving...

Tonight my family will celebrate Thanksgiving.....without me. It is not a good, bad, or indifferent thing and then again it is all 3. I am extremely thankful for many things and, given the holiday, I feel that I will expound on the thanks I have that there will be celebration tonight without me.

First and foremost I know that where ever I am or what ever I am doing, the Lord watches over me. He keeps me safe. He loves me. He provides everything I have and I am truely thankful to be here because of Him. I am also thankful for where I will go, also because of Him.

Second, I am thankful that I have a family that will be celebrating. Without a family, I don't think there would be a reason for living. They are the light and love of my life. From my wife and kids, to my parents and siblings. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all those that are just family because they mean so much.

I am thankful that I will be missed because it means that I am loved. They love me so much that my absence will be a little bothersome to them but they will also carry on as though I was there to celebrate the holiday and family.

Third, I am thankful for the reason I will not be there and that is my job, or one of them. It means a couple of different things. It means that, since it is a second job, that I am willing to work hard for my family to support them. It means that I am able and capable to do so. It means that I'm not afraid to take on additional responsibilities to do what is necessary for survival and for the benefit of my family.

I am thankful that I am healthy enough to work. I am thankful that I have transportation to and from as well as transportation home. I am thankful that I have a home to go to at the end of the day and for the people and living things there to greet me.

I know there is more to life than working and it is sometimes difficult to be taken away from so much but it is wonderful that there are things to be taken away from. I can't help to think that if I didn't have family or other people in my life, what I would be doing tomorrow. I shudder to think that I would be without any of those things that I am grateful for and realize that its a whole package. You take the good with the bad.

I wouldn't need a second job if I didn't have my wife and kids. So, I think of the trade off and I would take a second job and third if necessary to provide for them. I would suffer and give up sleep to insure that I could watch them grow up or spend a little time with them. I refer to thankful reason #1 for giving me a family and making me work hard to keep and maintain them because He worked so hard on this earth to keep and maintain us. He continues to work today to keep and maintain us.

May you too realize the things that you are thankful for in your life and appreciate what you have. May you also be thankful for the things that seem negative and realize that they are there to keep us humble and to teach us the value of hard work. If it were easy, it wouldn't be worth doing.

Happy Thanksgiving.

A Attempt at Being Sentimental

I let a tear go today. Why, you ask. For myself. For my wife, for my kids, for my family, and for my friends. They are dear to me, more than they may know. Life comes at us fast and for us to stay at it, priorities have to change, life drags the worst out of us. For that I say we should give life the finger sometimes and take time out for those we love. Play hide-and-seek with the kids, give the wife some one-on-one time, hang with the friends, even if it means getting your butt kicked in racquetball, or any other thing you do together. Life is short, things can be taken and given at any moment so live in the now, live life to the fullest and don't forget the little things. It's those that matter.

Gotta Get This Off My Chest

Part of this post is in some sort of response to Ryan's Blog Losing My Religion and part of it is that I need to get some stuff off my chest. I'm not really going to apologize for anything in this entry and if you are offended, that is not my intention. I think that some things have just come to a boil with me and I'm ready to explode. So instead of making a mess all over my cube I'll let it all out on this blog. Hate me if you will, but this is all going to be said from the heart and I hope all will know that I'm doing what I can.

Recently I was talking with my sister and was asking why it was that most of my extended family on my mom's side didn't like me. What I ever really did to them to make them not talk to me or even take all and any chance to avoid me. Her reply was that I moved to Logan, where I attended college, and when I came down, I didn't take time for them. I think this could even extend to the moment I got home from my mission. I got home and instead of taking time to run with the boys and hang with the family, I decided to persue the whole marriage thing and spent a lot of time with the love of my life. I didn't mean to shun friends or come across that I couldn't be their friend, and even now I feel like I'm the a-hole that always ruins the plans that are made because I'm not able to make it. I want all to know that I love hanging out with my friends. There are a lot of things that are important to me and even though I don't wear my feelings on my sleeves, I am hurt at some of the ways that things are said and the way I feel treated when I'm around. I have a role as a father and a husband, and I take that role very seriously. My dad cared about me growing up and knew what was going on in my life from a distance. It hurts, I cry when I watch a movie where the dad is the one that cares for his children and realizes that they are important. I know my kids are important and they always will be #1 in my book. My wife is my life and support. If I didn't have her, life would be a lot different. Sometimes it gets to me that I feel like I'm asking for her permission to go hangout with my friends, but I realize that I have obligations to her and part of that is being around when she needs me. So I'm not always going to be able to just go hangout.

When it comes to friends, I feel that I have the greatest friends a guy could have. I have friends that would back me up in any situation that I was in. I have friends that don't realize that I love them with all my heart and at one time the brotherhood between us was stronger than steel. I know have friends that I feel try to avoid me and think that I don't like them, or look down upon them. Not so! More not so than anyone can even realize. My friends and I didn't become friends because of the religion we belonged too, my friends and I didn't become friends because of the bad things we did, or didn't do. My friends are my friends because they are the people I love to hangout with. It hurts to think that my friends are less my friends because when I came home from college on weekends I didn't make time for them. That I didn't take time, to do anything, and I'll admit to that. Time was scarce when we were here on the weekends with family activities. And my number one argument is that the road to Logan went both ways. I'm here now and I have a house and even though it's way out in the boonies, it's always a place where you can come and hang. I my brothers back regardless of our circumstances in life, you are my brothers and at one point in time we would have been there through thick and thin. Life changes, my fourth child will be born in June of next year, but hopefully that won't stop all the fun-loving uncles and aunts from remembering that these kids are part of their family.

Now, that I made you read that, I want to add a few words for the Losing My Religion blog by Ryan. I want you to know that this decision is yours. I know that Utah is full of Mormons that may look down on you and may shun you for your beliefs, but realize this, you have a loving family that will be there for you. Gospel standards are hard to live life by. It's hard not to agree to a drink when you are hanging out with friends, it's hard not to do some of the things we love because the Prophet says it's bad. Some of the quotes that you quoted were good, but one thing that I have always been told is that ultimately it is up to me to find the truth. I know that President Hinckley is a Prophet of God and that he speaks God's words to us today. But the great thing about the gospel is that we were given agency. That's the beauty of it. We were given agency to deal with life. If we choose to do the things that the Prophet asks, then we need to do them. I think that the blessings we've been promised are a hard thing to realize because they aren't always immediate, neither are they always eminent. How do blessings come to us, and are we aware that they are there. No. Would we realize life was any different if we didn't get them. I believe in some circumstances, yes, but not always. Each decision we make in life is going to lead us somewhere, regardless of how small that decision may be at one point in life, they may have huge consequences later on. Ryan, you have a Heavenly Father that knows and loves you. He told us that He would send us the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost when we needed it. I know that this decision is yours and that this may not sway you, or even that you will ever read this, but if you do, remember that you have a promise that if you are truly searching then you can receive an answer. I think that is what it says basically in James 1:5, that if you lack wisdom, that you can get it and you won't be upbraided for it. Anyway Ryan, I myself consider you a friend and always will. We had some fun together in Jr. High school with the whole Stonehenge thing and those apartments were always fun to run around in. Ryan, I know that this church is true, and I've had my shares of ups and downs and searching. It took a good friend to help me, even though I haven't been the best at helping where help is needed. You have a wonderful wife, who I'm sure will be willing to help where you need her too, and be sensitive to your needs, as well as her family.

Well, now that I've spent almost an hour writing this blog, I should get back to work. Remember that I'm trying to do what I can and that I do care.

Ouch!!!

So I get this call from Chels yesterday that she has just gotten off the phone with Tiaree who is at school and her arm hurts and she wants to come home. Come to find out, she was playing at the playground before school started and she was standing on the end of the slide and feel off. She hurt her arm and was crying, her classmates were there to comfort her and make sure she was ok. When she went into class and started a writing assignment, she complained to the teacher that her arm hurt and that she wanted to go home. The teacher let her go to the office and call Chels and tell her what happened. Well we went to the Dr. and she has a broken arm. She broke the arm bone at the wrist and so she will be in a cast for the next few weeks that goes up above her elbow. It's sad, but she's in high spirits and did a great job at the Dr. They didn't have to set anything so that was a bonus and so there was really no pain involved at the Dr. for her. We discussed the whole thing of standing on stuff and told her that it's not a good idea and she has finally agreed. She will get the cast on on Monday for now it's in a splint.

Gonna Blog Today

So it's Wednesday and I rode the bus and train into work today. I don't mind riding the bus and the train it gives me a chance to catch up on some reading. The bus takes about 45 minutes and the train is about 30 and the walk to the bus stop is usually like 15 or 20 depending on how late I leave the house and how fast I really want to walk. Well upon getting to the end of my street today, I realized that I had forgotten something and it was going to make the day a little blurry. Yep you guessed it, my glasses, didn't have time to put contacts in this morning so I was going to wear my glasses and I forgot them. Kind of sucks having blurry vision, reading my monitor isn't too bad, but anything beyond that, arghhhhh!

Now back to the whole bus/train thing. I like to think of myself as curtious and offer my seat to someone that may need it more than I. Like an elderly person or a woman, espically if she's hot...haha, just kidding. So I was looking around, through blurry vision, and noticed a lot of women and older people standing while young guys just sat there on their butts. Now I'm not saying they are in the wrong and they may have some issues about standing all the way downtown or to the U, but for the most part, I'm guessing that they are just a little lazy. Anyway, I wanted to gripe about that and now it's off my chest and alls well. Time to work again...

Funny Stuff

So I was reading some news today and read an article about the new "Got Milk?" ads that are currently airing. (Watch) I think they are funny and I think that they did a good job making a parody of the Steroids issues in baseball. Anyway, just wanted to get the word out there. These are pretty funny.

Great Weekend!!!

This last weekend was probably one of the best weekends I've ever had. I scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday off Albertson's so I could do some "family stuff" which made the weekend rather full anyway. So, to recap....

Friday - took a half day off Delco. Original plan to go to Lagoon with Alythea was scrapped because we had to follow up on some other things for Saturday. So, ran a few errands and got all are P's and Q's in order to insure a successful Saturday (which I'll comment on in a minute) and then had a nice dinner with the wife and kids at home. Watched a movie and called it an early night.

Saturday - Got up and bought breakfast burritos from Beto's. (If you haven't had one, try one. They are GREAT!!!!) Loaded the kids up and we all went to the Salt Lake Temple. We had an appointment to get our family sealed together for time and all eternity. The kids looked really good in their white outfits. The temple workers in the youth center did a really good job of making sure their hair and attire was perfect for this wonderful occasion. It was a wonderful day.

Since Aly and I didn't go to Lagoon on Friday, we decided to go after our luncheon at Grandma's house. The kids went to the movies with a couple of friends and Aly and I had the night to ourselves. We went through a couple of spook alleys, watched a couple of shows, rode a ride, then called it a night. We went home to rest and relax.

Sunday - Finally got to go to church. The last time I was actually there was before Labor Day weekend. It was good to go and listen and participate. I really miss going to church and you don't realize how much till you go and find out what you've been missing out on.

So, that was the weekend. It was pretty good. Got a few things done around the house, spent some time with the kids and wife, and got some time to relax. We start the week off with another hectic Monday and it gets busier from there.

Our Rights?

Ok, so I can't believe the lengths that Homeland Security is going to to "protect" us. I just found this website: http://www.license.shorturl.com/ and it is amazing what you can find. I found that you can view your drivers license online. They say that this is to help protect us but I think it's an invasion of rights. It was freaky, I searched for myself and there I was, picture and all. Luckily you can remove your license from the database. All you have to do is fill it in, name, city, state and when it pulls up your license you can click the "remove me" button. It's good because it removes it from public access but not from law enforcement. I suggest everyone go here and do that so that you can keep yourself safe. No counting on the government to do it.

Batman Movies

Sunday we got the new Batman Begins movie, and watched it. With Chels working at Hollywood video we get pre-releases. Anyway, so we thought it would be cool to get Batman and go on from there. So about 45 minutes into Batman last night, I was done. Batman Begins is a far better movie all around. Christian Bale is a way better Batman than Micheal Keaton. As for the stories, and the movies themselves, Begins is a good introduction to why Bruce Wayne is Batman, and there is a lot more action in Begins. As far as Batman, it's good and it shows how Batman becomes a hero in Gotham and how he strikes fear in the "bad guys". Batman, however, should have been called Joker, because the story is more centered around him and how he becomes the bad guy. You barely know Bruce Wayne and who he is. Don't take my word for it, Batman Begins comes out today, go rent it and then watch Batman. You should see a total difference. Anyway, that's all for today.

Tests

I did the test Chels posted plus a couple of others from the same site.

You Are 70% Boyish and 30% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Your Irish Name Is...

Lugh O'Callaghan

What's your Irish Name?

You Are 50% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too damn weird to do anything about it!

How Weird Are You?

You Are Somewhat Machiavellian

You're not going to mow over everyone to get ahead... But you're also powerful enough to make things happen for yourself. You understand how the world works, even when it's an ugly place. You just don't get ugly yourself - unless you have to!

How Machiavellian Are You?

Snickers

Nutty and gooey - you always satisfy.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Easy Little Test

So I found this test while reading other peoples blogs. It's kinda fun and I think it is surprisingly accurate! Except I don't think the link works. I'll see if Tracy can help me there! (It works now!) Just copy it and try it for now!


***You Are 50% Boyish and 50% Girlish***


You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch.
Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes.
You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them.
You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.


How Boyish or Girlish Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/howboyishorgirlishareyouquiz/

Overall, It's been Good

So I haven't posted in a while, but like Brandon, time is scarce sometimes. I'm waiting for my ride now, so I will take this moment to blog. Work has been really busy, we are developing a CRM system to handle trouble tickets and what not in the Hospital. It's been a learning experience and there has been trials, and I'm sure they aren't over. I have learned a lot and now I'm getting more done and asking less questions. It's kind of cool. The progress is moving slowly. At home, things are going pretty good. The fence is just about done, it should be close to completion this evening. It has been fun and it looks pretty good overall for not being professionally done. I'll get some picts when it's done. The kids are growing like weeds and I'm starting to feel old at times, but it's all good. Well that's about it. I don't know why I feel I have to wrap this up, but I do. So to wrap it up, I will say, thanks and goodnight.

To Blog or Not To Blog?

I know I've been bad about blogging recently but I have a couple of dilemmas. First, I haven't had lots of time or energy to think about anything. Second, when I have decided to blog, I start to work on it and it just sounds like I'm complaining.

I don't mind complaining occasionally, but if it becomes all the time then there is an issue. So, I remain silent on several issues.

One thing I'd like to comment about, (now that its almost been a week since) is my son's birthday party. It went really well. We went and rented a couple games and movies and bought some pizza and just had a lot of fun. My mother-in-law made a soccer ball pinata that the kids each got one turn to kick before it was totally thrashed. We could have probably stopped with the 2nd kid to kick it but I wanted everyone to have a turn.

We spent the rest of the night playing video games, eating pizza and candy. All-in-all a good time was had by everyone.

Last Night was Just One of Those Nights

Ok, so here's the deal. My house was quiet pretty early last night. At about 9:30, after Mork and Mindy, Chels put Bree in her bed and came into bed and fell asleep pretty quick. At 9:50, I turned my lamp off looking forward to a good night sleep. I was pretty excited. Shortly after 11, my son came in and made himself comfy on our chair that's next to our bed. I took him back in his room and not an hour later he was in my room again. Frustrated because my good night sleep was interrupted, I let him lay down with me. When I felt he was finally asleep, I took him in his room and laid him down, he woke up a little and I told him that he needed to stay in his bed. So that battle was over and I was thinking that I was still going to get a fair amount of sleep.

I had never been as wrong as I was. Bree came in, shortly after I doze off, having thrown-up in her bed. It wasn't the most pleasent smell, obviously. She kept trying to climb on the bed and I wouldn't let her. I got her undressed and cleaned up, and Chels stripped her bed and made it again. I went out to get Bree some water and she was dancing and giggling and jumping around. Not a good sign. So I went and laid down with her, hoping that my bed wasn't next for the contents of her stomach. I asked Chels to get a puke bucket for me so in case I could catch it, I would, thus sparing me and my bed. Well everytime Bree would even whine a little I started to reach for the bucket and she would get a little more cozzy and fall back to sleep. Not good for me because now I'm paranoid that I'm going to wake up by the sound of vomit. So by this time, I gave up all hope of a decent night sleep. This morning, I put Bree in her bed at 6:00am, with a stiff neck, both hands tingling from sleeping on them funny. Finally I fell asleep to be woken up by the alarm like a half hour later. As I jumped in the shower, I thought how I was going to try it again tonight. Wish me luck!!

Bocce and Stuff

So for lunch today we played bocce. It's pretty fun.

Wow, it's amazing how fast my mind goes blank about blogging. I actually remember what I was going to blog last week when I forgot. The weather, and some of the terms they use. Like, partly cloudy or mostly cloudy. Well when it's partly cloudy does that mean it's mostly sunny, or vice versa, if it's mostly cloudy then is it only partly sunny. It's all just confusing. Here's another thought, one that I think that I've read the little joke thing on my e-mail about it, but it's good food for thought. Being a weatherman is a pretty nice gig. Where else can you guess wrong 9 out of 10 times and still have a job? Does what you say when your not on the air translate into exactly the opposite? Why do people complain about the weatherman and then tune in every night to see the weather? All good questions, and I'm sure there are plenty more where that came from. Well anyway, this blog that started out slow turned into something a little more than me telling you I played Bocce at lunch.

Upcoming events

I have 2 kids that are going to have birthdays soon and it starts to make you realize that you are getting older. Not that they are having the birthdays, but it sparks that little bit of memory where you look at them and remember when they were little and wonder where the time has gone.

Couple that with natural milestones in their lives and it makes you start to realize that time marches on whether you like it or not. Last Sunday, Aurora received her certificate of graduation from Primary and now will go into Young Women's.

So, for those of you that wanted to know and feel just a bit older, there ya go. Have a nice day.

5 for $5.95, Yummy

Ok, I'm a fan of Arby's and I went and took advantage of the 5 for 5.95 today. It was great. 2 regular roast beef sandwhiches, curly fries, mozerella sticks, and a medium Mr. Pibb. It was a great meal. It got rid of that craving I've been having. I know that my wife likes Arby's but I'm being a thoughtful husband and not eating it in front of her.

My wife rocks! She is kicking some major butt on the weight loss issue, she can fill you in more if she wants, but she is way kicking butt. I think that she looks hot in very baggy clothes. They are almost too baggy, but we'll buy her some more clothes soon.

So I did the classic blunder of wanting to blog something, but didn't do it at the time that I thought of it and totally forgot what I was going to blog about. Goes to show that blogging topics aren't always important.

Something cool, my uncle is a photographer for BYU and he took this picture of the TCU game last Saturday showing the guy fumbled before crossing the line, or did he? I have a great family, extended family on both sides, for the most part anyway.

Road Trip!

Whadda BlogWell we are down to the last week. I am going home friday no matter what! We have been gone for 85 days. We have spend 70 + hours in our vehicles. We have driven to or at least through Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, All over Missouri and back through to Wyoming and Friday we head back to UTAH. I am so excited! Jade (Rick's cousin) and I are so excited to go home we are ready to explode. Its been hard being away from what most call normalcy. The boys go to work at 9 in the evening and get home anywhere between 5 to 9 in the morning. Then they come home hang out and go to bed around noon. Makes for a long day/night for me.
My kids have handled it well for the most part. The first part of the trip I argued with Jazmine about how we were going to stay up at night and sleep during the day. She was determined that we only sleep at night. Now she waits till around 4 or 5 in the morning to go to bed.
All of the kids have grown so much. Jaxon went from and infant to well a big infant. He sits up, eats babyfood, and is starting to eat finger foods. He has a little temper when he doesn't get what he wants which is his mom most of the time. He hasn't gotten sick since South Dakota so that is way nice. I don't want to spend all the money we make on Dr. Bills.
Kyli is a sweet little mean thing. She punches like a boy and head butts everything. She headbutted me right in the kidney today...not a good feeling. She has grown so much it kills me. She talks so much sometimes you want to just tell her to sshhhhhhhhh!
Jazmine is too smart for her own good. She unfortunately addicted to television. Its even starting to rub off on Kyli. Last night Kyli woke up in the middle of the night wanting to hold me then she wanted to watch a movie. The guys were off work so we all went to bed early. It was so nice.
I think I have slept more on the couch then I have on my bed so it was nice to actually lay down with my hubby and sleep for 8 hours.
Rick and I have had our ups and downs. Life hits you pretty hard when everything changes. We have made up and now we are happy. -Till the next fight. :)
We have big plans when we get home. Like sale or house and our condo and down size a little since we will be traveling most of next year.
I am way excited to see my family. My mom and dad are planning to come visit the day I get home and that makes me so happy. Its been the longest since I have seen them. I am excited for so much. I hope getting home will be fun. Looking forward to seeing everyone.
See you on Friday!! If you come visit me cuz I ain't goin no where!

Car Accident

I heard a pretty funny thing today and thought I would share. The following link is to a radio station and a person is leaving a message when there is an accident that happens right in front of him involving a guy and 4 old ladies.

He is pretty descriptive and you have to listen very carefully to certain parts because he is laughing so hard that it is difficult to make out certain parts. You will love it. Here is the link:Click Here

Work, Work, Work....

It's Friday to a very blurry week. I was sick most of the week. I caught something late Sunday and was in bed most of Monday. I got up and went to work on Tuesday except I called in to Albertson's and didn't work there. Wednesday was pretty good but Thursday, I woke up just miserable. I came to work but just couldn't keep my head up. I left around 9 and went home to sleep. I did work at Albertson's last night and I'm doing pretty good today.

Anyway, other than being sick, it sure feels like all I do is work. I'm hoping to do some family stuff on Monday night for FHE. We are getting the Living Scriptures. We signed up for them while they were at the fair and they gave us the first one while we were there. So, we will get one once a month and will spend the month doing FHE and Sunday activities from the video and accompanying book. I think it'll be a lot of fun if we can keep up on it.

So, that's it for now. Boring life, but I kind of like it that way.

No Complaints, O.K. Maybe One or Two

So as they say, a win is a win. I totally agree. Last night the wife and two of the three kids and I went to the U of U vs. Air Force football game. It was a pretty good game and the Utes won, so alls well. Ok, maybe not, I think the Utes got lucky. I'm a big Ute fan, but to be up bye 17 and then only winning by 3, there is something wrong. The forth quarter sucked. At around 5 minutes left the stadium was starting to really empty out. I was thinking that the game wasn't over, but I was hoping for some more good play by the Utes, maybe a touchdown, but what I got was an ulcer. it came down to bad play calling. Brian Johnson threw on average of 14.5 yards and there was only one receiver that was under 10 yards per catch, the next person was 12 yards per catch. So here's my big question...Why would you run on 3rd and 12? I guess Kyle Whittingham likes the close games. It's football if the other team can't stop you, run up the score. That's my opinion. I'm happy about the win and it was a fun game to go to.

As I said earlier, we took the two oldest kids. Jarik must have been really bored or really ramped up on the sugar we were feeding him because he was so wired that he wouldn't stop moving. It was fun, but I felt like I had wrestled him for about the whole game. It wasn't fun in that I didn't get to watch the game too closely. It was fun, Tiaree had a good time. She hung out with Neal and Heather and had a great time. She came down and talked to me for a minute and I asked if she was having fun sitting with Uncle Neal and she said, "Yep", and headed back to sit with them again. It was cool.

I'm going to get to work now. Laters.

Good Break, I'll do Better

To all my loyal readers, I want to apologize for the lame excuse of a blogger I have been. So my life has been in a quick firestorm lately, everything seemed to be go-go-go, but things are settling down a little. We had some network issues at work here and that killed any connection to the outside world. They are all fixed now and so here I write. Here's a list of the cool things that have happened recently; I saw my first pro NFL game on the 11th, then I spent a few days in San Francisco and that was cool. I got my wife a pearl necklace, I got to choose the oyster and everything. My kids are growing up, not that I want them to go to fast, but they are growing up. Bree is a funny little girl, Tiaree is too smart, and Jarik has a very mean side, but he also has a very sensitive side as well. Kids rock!! My wife is the best wife in the world. She puts up with me. Those are some of the coolest things in my life right now. I have a killer job, a PSP that I didn't pay for (no, I didn't steal it either), and a house that needs me to finish all my little jobs, but it's awesome. It's pretty cool. So that's what's up in a nutshell. May seem pretty lame, but my family, my house, and my job are pretty much what I do. Well that's it for now. I'll try and think of something more profound later.

"Our State Fair is a Great State Fair...."

For those of you that don't know the reference, that is one of the songs from Roger's and Hammerstein's State Fair.

We went to the Utah State Fair on Friday and it was quite a lot of fun. I took the entire day off from work and, after we saw the kids off to school, Alythea and I, with the remaining 2 kids went to the state fair. It was a lot of fun to see some of the things that they had there. We saw cows and chickens and goats and sheep and rabbits. There were horses and pigs too. It was nice with only the two youngest who, for the most part, stayed in the stroller that we had.

After lunch, we went home to pick up the other two kids that were now out of school. When we got back to the fair, it was nothing but fighting and whining and running off.

We did do a couple of fun things. They had the pig races. They had "free betting" in which you received one ticket of the color of your choice that would correspond to a pig. If your pig won the race, you would receive a blue ribbon. If they called your number, you got a t-shirt. Nicole won a t-shirt for the first race.

We got to see the bird show which was pretty fun mostly because I like birds. The lady that does it is REALLY goofy but it was fun. We saw the worlds largest bull and the worlds smallest horse. It was a lot of fun, but expensive.

About dinner time, we were trying to decide what to have for dinner. When we all started commenting on what we wanted, I realized that it was going to be about 10 bucks each so we decided to leave and go to Golden Corral. It would be about $40 but we would get more for our money and Jayna would eat free PLUS we would get desert.

So, it was a lot of fun. I would suggest, for those of you with kids, doing a split day like we did. It was good to go and see what we wanted to see and then we wouldn't have to drag the kids to do the "boring" stuff. BTW, stay away from the rides. The tickets are $1 each and some rides are 2-4 tickets. You can get an all day pass for $16 per person if you are interested but that still gets expensive.

Almost Home

We are almost home. I am getting so ansy. We have been on the road since July 5th. We have driven well over 50 hours in our cars. Our kids have grown and we miss our family. We are sick of living with a whole bunch of other people. We are excited to get home. We have lots of plans when we get home. Hope it all goes well. I will keep you posted.

Back and Ready to Work

Ok, well last week was a great week. I went to San Francisco and had a great time. San Francisco is a great place. The conference I went to was good. I got to watch the 49ers win over the Rams live. It was awesome...here's a picture...


It was a great trip. Anyway, time to get to work. Laters!

Animal Farm - Finale

Despite the need for sleep, I stayed up and finished Animal Farm. It was a really good book and an eye opener. I find a few things amazing and they DO apply to us as well.


(1) Life is going to be difficult.
(2) When one tyrant is removed, another one will take his place.
(3) Most people would rather be led around by the nose than think for themselves.
(4) Politicians are pigs.
(5) We are quick to forget our past troubles.
(6) Change isn't always good.
(7) Most would not question the leader that was their friend at one time.
(8) There will always be someone that will be ready to take advantage of you.
(9) The old addage of a frog in water holds true*.
(10) Once you have your freedom, know what it entails and do NOT let someone dictate to you what your freedoms really are.

There are a lot more lessons and I'm sure that there are a lot of things that could be added to this list. Even being a "fairy tale" as was Orson Wells' subtitle, it really isn't a nice story because it hits too close to home. Those that seem benevolent in the beginning could be there to take advantage as much as they can. Those that are benevolent will usually be run out by those that want to take advantage and then lied about. As we review all those "criminals" that started out doing good, how much do we know that they actually did? Just because the "authorities" say they are now criminals, is it really the case?

Anyway, up above I put a * on number 9. I did this to indicate that I would talk about this. For those of you that don't know the addage of the frog, here you go.

If you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out because it is too hot. If you put a frog in normal water, and heat it slowly, the frog will eventually boil to death. The reason is, that the water is fine in the beginning. As heat is applied, the water temperature rises slowly and if the water was ok a second ago, it still is ok. That continues until the water is eventually boiling.

It works the same with everything. As little changes are made, changes that really seem insignificant, they may be small pieces in a puzzle. What was ok yesterday should still be ok today. If we add one little, small change, what does it matter? We find out after its too late to see that all the changes have brought us to a point where we are again ready for a revolution. Then, the cycle starts all over again.

Animal Farm

I went to the library last week and got Animal Farm and started reading it. I got the movie from the library yesterday and we sat and watched it with the kids. The kids thought it was ok until the horse, Boxer, dies. Nicole was soooooo upset. It took me a while after the movie to get her calmed down. She was just so sad that the horse had died. Even Mason was crying during the movie when it happened.

Anyway, the book and movie are pretty good. It is an interesting concept but seems to be a cynical but somewhat accurate protrayal of things that happen with government, revolutions, etc. For those of you that have read the book, you know what I mean. For those of you that haven't, well, if you ever felt bad about eating bacon, after this you won't.

My Book

Figured I'd post my book. I actually got it from the library and am trying to read it. With all the free time I have, I should finish it in about a year.

You're Animal Farm!

by George Orwell

You are living proof that power corrupts and whoever leads you will become just as bad as the past leaders. You're quite conflicted about this emotionally and waver from hopelessly idealistic to tragically jaded. Ultimately, you know you can't trust pigs. Your best moments are when you're down on all fours.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Dog gone....

I know I'm posting this late, but with my schedule, it is difficult to know when I'm going to have time to blog.

Anyway, as you read previously, Tracy and his family went up to Casper, Wyoming to meet up with Nicole and Ricky. Since they were headed that way, they took Keisha and Zoey, Nicole's mutts, up with them. So, we are now down to 2 dogs. Its a lot quieter around and this weekend went pretty peaceably.

Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that I was able to help out my sister and know she will return the favor if I'm ever in a jam. I think that is what is great about family. You know you can count on them. I try to be as reliable as possible to my family and I know they also try to be reliable and accomodating. I know I can count on them in a fix and I hope they know they can count on me.

Anyway, enough of the boring stuff. Since I'm not very good at things that aren't boring, I'll end here.

Good Weekend

So our trip to Casper, WY went over without a hitch. Ok, well there were a few things but it worked out in the end and we had a great time. My wife wasn't ready to come home, something about staying in a hotel does that to her. I think it's the swimming pool and the beds being made. Nic and Rick got there a little later than expected, and I learned why have a cell phone is good, but sucks when you are somewhere that the service isn't available. They got there safe and we all had a good time. Got home last night just before 10 and got the car unpacked and the kids in bed. Then I fell into bed myself and was out. When Chels came into bed she said she gave me a kiss on the cheek and I didn't even stir or anything. I must have been tired. Anyway, the trip was fun and now it's time to start getting ready for San Francisco. I'm pretty excited for that trip. I'll follow up with both the trips with pictures later.

Pictures

These are some pictures that I took over the last little while. I think that they are pretty cool and I wanted to see how easy it was to get pictures into the blog now.



Provo River Falls




Squash vines growing in my Grandma's backyard

Go Utes!!

Good news for Ute fans! I just wanted to blog and fill you in on the latest and greatest, or whatever is going on. So our Capser trip is currently on, but as of now, we are minute to minute. We are trying to make sure we meet up with the right people. I want to go to Casper and have a good time, but we'll see what happens.

As for the training I was in all week, it was ok, not too boring like some other training I've been too.

The Utes opening game is tonight against Arizona. It will be good to see how they overcome the loss of last years graduating class and Alex Smith, who by the way threw his first touchdown pass in the NFL last night.

Well you all have a good Labor day weekend doing anything but laboring, haha.

Quick Blog

So I'm in training this week for doing portals. It's not too bad of training and I'm practicing some of my Java skills. Life is good there. We might have to cancel the greatly anticipated trip to Casper, WY. Some outside issues and gas are causing me to rethink the whole long road trip thing. My dear wife wants to go spend a few days in Logan, which would be a lot of fun. I think the idea was to get out of dodge for the weekend, it is needed. If we don't go anywhere, I can hopefully get some more done on the fence in the back. If I can get that done, then my trip to San Fran will be a little less worrisome about the family here at home. We'll see what happens. Anyway, I'm patiently waiting for my ride to come and then I'm off. laters

Another fun quiz to try

K I found this from Hobbes' blog. I like that I'm The Hobbit. I was hoping for something childlike!!

You're The Hobbit!

by J.R.R. Tolkien

All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man
came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you're
all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this
crazy person into the wild. While you're very short and a little furry, you seem to be
surrounded by an even greater quantity of short folks lately. Try not to lose your ring,
but keep its value in perspective!


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

New Trained Cashier ... sort of.

I have officially finished 12 hours of training and will probably be on my own for the most part on Saturday. I've done fairly well, or so I've been told. There are a few issues though.

On Wednesday, I trained with Chris who trained a certain way and on Thursday with Brett who was different in a lot of respects. Both were / are front end managers or supervisors so they should know what they are doing. BUT, there are little things that are different that have thrown off my timing on certain things.

Not to mention, the closing manager the last 2 nights keeps coming over and offering "other" advice or getting mad at my trainers for not "properly" training me.

For example, there is a way to move the groceries called the pass method (which I do and am comfortable with) where you pick up the item with your right, sweep it across the scanner to your left which then sends it to the bagger. It is called the pass because the item passes from the right hand to the left hand.

The way the front-end manager decided I needed to do it (last night at 9:45 when I leave at 10:00) is called the swim method. That is where you grab one item with the left, sweep it across the scanner into the bag while you grab an item with your right hand. Then you sweep the item in your right hand across the scanner into the bag while you grab another item with your left hand. (I tried this and I drowned.)

So, she comes over, tells me she's going to check and for me to watch her. Brett, who had listened to her, disagreed with her on the method. So, with both of us watching, the Front-End manager had someone with several of the yogurt cups come through. She did a combination swim and pass method alternating methods between cups.

When she was done, both Bret and I commented on her pass method by which her reply was that she did not use the pass method but used the swim method.

Needless to say, this is getting more confusing. Hopefully, now that I am trained (for the most part) they will back off and let me do the job. I'm not interested in getting the best stats, the best times, the best methods, etc. I'm interested in doing a good job in which they pay me to do. We will see what happens over the next few weeks.

My Cyborg Name

Way cool. Wonder what I do when I'm not doing "Normally" stuff

Had to try it

So I had to do this cyborg thing and here is mine:







Nifty huh.

Life is Better Today

So I slept in this morning a little bit because I drove in. So that's always good. My kids were all awake when I left and that was fun. It is awesome that my kids feel it so important to give me a hug and a kiss before I leave. It really makes my day. Now if I can figure out how to get a car, then I can make it more of a habit. Maybe I'll start carpooling (is that one word or two?). Anyway, it's Friday and I'm looking to have some fun this weekend with my wife and kids. We have a week until we leave for exciting Casper, WY to hang with Nic and Fam. It should be fun.

On Neal's Blog he had this link to find out your cyborg name, so I did and here is mine:



See what yours is and let us all know.

A Little Bummed

Well, I am. I just got an email from a company that I was going to do some side work for and it looks like they are headed in a different direction. So they aren't going to use me. It was going to be some good extra money, now I have to find something else. If I want some extra money that is. It was going to be fun doing some work on the side with the web development. I have plenty to do at my job now and I'm definately not looking for a job, but something on the side would have been fun. Ok, well that's all for now.

Paper or Plastic

Last night was my first night as an Albertson's Checker and I was a little overwhelmed. Things went pretty well but fairly hectic for me. Since I've never been a checker, I've found out that there are a lot of things that go into being a checker. Once I start getting things down and get used to things, I'm sure it will work out.

My first little while on the register was basically a shock to the system. I was nervous. Everything turned out alright. I learned a lot and I know I will get better.

I work again tonight training and then Saturday I work a full shift as a checker.

School Starts Today

It was a whole different atmosphere at my house this morning. Usually, when I leave for work, I'm usually the only one up and awake. (On occasion, Mason will wake up early but not often.)

Today, the kids were getting up and dressed around 6:30 for school. Nicole and Jayna woke up, (I think because Jayna had a nightmare or something and her crying woke up Nicole.) Alythea was even up at around 6:30 today. What an exciting day.

It was nice to give everyone hugs and kisses before I left for work. The two students were excited to start school. They look really good in their uniforms. Their uniforms mainly consist of certain color pants/shorts/skirt and shirt. Mason was wearing black pants and a red polo-style shirt and Aurora was wearing a blue blouse with a black skirt.

Alythea is excited because she will only have Nicole and Jayna home for most of the day today. It should be relatively nice and peaceful for her.

Tickets Came

Ok, so I'm getting really excited for this trip to San Francisco. The tickets to the Niner's game came yesterday. I'm way excited. Hopefully the trip will come and go without to many problems. I'm not seeing any right now and things are getting organized. Not much time to blog today, just wanted to fill you in on the good news. Laters!

UPDATE: 1st Interview

So, apparently Albertson's either moves really quick, or they are in dire need of employees. I have been hired tentative to my drug test. (I keep thinking the answer on #3 was C but I marked B.) Anyway, we'll see how it turned out.

I have orientation, if that is the case, on Tuesday. She was thinking of starting to train me on Saturday (REALLY QUICK) and luckily, she has someone else to train this weekend. So, next stop, I need more pants.

The "uniform" is beige pants, an Albertson's shirt and Apron. They supply shirt and apron. So, once she calls to say that I passed my drug test, I have to fill out more paperwork, then I can go and get more pants. How cool is that?

Well, have a good weekend.

Fun For All

Ok, well here we are again. Late in the afternoon, the clock is winding slowly, and I've got a few things to do that should send me into the weekend feeling free of work. Which is a good feeling. I'm sitting here listening to a proclaimers song thinking about the weekend plans and not sure if I want to do anything at all. I've got some stuff I would like to do in the old yard, like dig holes for fence posts so my wife will get off my back (;) Chels). Actually she's not really on my back, but I'm getting more annoyed that my garage looks more like a lumber yard than a garage. So I want to get working on it. I only have about a dozen or so more holes to dig and could get them done pretty quick if I just did it, but I'm lazy and don't want to do it most times. But now I'm feeling that I need to get it done. The yard looks lots better without all the weeds. Anyway, I'm just rambling and need to get some work done so have a great weekend.

1st Interview

First of all, this post is 201 which is also an accomplishment. It basically means we have WAY too much time on our hands.

Anyway, today I have my 1st interview for my 2nd job. (Confused yet?) Actually, I have an appointment at 1pm to work part time nights and some weekends at Albertsons. I've put in several applications and this is the first to respond. Hopefully all will go well.

I'm more than qualified for all of the jobs I've applied for. It is only about learning what the company quirks are and their little systems. Everything should be a walk in the park. I've ran cash registers, done inventory, stocked shelves, etc. Nothing should be hard but hopefully it will be fun and help us to earn a little extra money to get us to our goals.

So, I'll post later giving an update.

200 POSTS!

I would like to congratulate everyone that blogs on this blog site. We have hit the 200th blog, well this is the 200th blog. Even though our readership still stands at like 4, we have now successfully entered 200 entries that are available to read to whom ever wants too. Ok, that's all, more later.

and now, HARRY AND THE POTTERS!!!!

I thought this was the funniest thing. There is a group that has called themselves "Harry and the Potters" and their songs are based off of the Harry Potter books. Their songs can be heard at their myspace website. They also have another website at this site. So, check it out. Aly and I listened to the songs available last night and they, well, they grow on you. I just think its funny and, anyone looking for Christmas ideas, they have both CD's for sale, in case you were wondering.

I'm Excited

Ok, so it's going to happen. On September 11, 2005, I am going to accomplish one of my life goals. I will soon have in my possession one ticket to see the San Francisco 49ers play the St. Louis Rams. Yes, I'm excited! I have always wanted to go to a 49ers game and I get to go. I'm going with three friends here at work and it should be a good game. Hopefully Alex Smith will get to play and Kevin Curtis for the Rams. He was at Utah State when I was going to school up there. Other than that, life is going pretty good.

We have been watching the Lord of the Rings triology over the past little while. It's such an awesome show. We finished The Two Towers last night, we are watching the extended version by the way. This weeked we are saying that we'll watch The Return of the King and then we'll be done. They are good and the kids are even sitting quietly through them. Which is nice, Jarik has had to ask a couple time, to reassure himself, that the Orcs and the other bad guys are really just people dressed in costumes. And he's not the biggest fan of Gollum, but he's pretty strapped to the tube when we are watching them. Tiaree loves it and still giggles when she sees all the bad guys because they are ugly. Anyway, it's time to post this and get to the day.

Yahoo Groups

For a while now and off and on over the past few years, I have contributed to a few different groups through www.groups.yahoo.com. Well, recently, I've found one that is actually quite cool. Its called freecycle.com. Through this group, if you want something, you ask for it. If you have something you want to get rid of, you offer it. That's pretty much how it works. The group site is Salt Lake Freecycle.

Anyway, that's my news. I posted a couple things to get rid of and a couple of things that I want and I will report back. So far, the things I have to give away are going better than the things I want, so we will see.

Bad Tracy, Bad

Ok, so I did the ultimate diet no-no today. I went to a fast food place and I wasn't there to order a salad. Basically, I went to Carl's Jr. ordered the Famous Star with Cheese, I didn't want the cheese, they put it on and I forgot to ask them to take it off, a large fry and then I had a diet coke. HAHAHA, I've turned into one of those people that I usually make fun of, the ones that order the biggest most fattening thing on the menu then they have a large diet coke to set things right. The reason I had a diet coke is because it doesn't add to the points that my meal racked up. I'm only 7 points over for the day total, but I haven't even had dinner yet. Well it's time to get back to work.

Rainy Days

A storm rolled in yesterday and it is still cloudy today. Its a nice change of pace from the heat and I like summer storms. They are actually kind of fun especially if you get a lot of thunder which this storm, unfortunately, doesn't have a lot of.

I think that the storms have infected some people around here though. There seems to be a cloud of bad attitude that has decended upon several people here at work. I feel sorry for them. I know that sometimes I'm not the easiest person to get along with but I don't know that I have as bad of days as these people.

So, today has been a trial in keeping a good attitude when all around you are screaming and yelling. Hopefully tomorrow will be better for these people.

I BOOKED IT!!!

Whadda BlogOk so we have been out of town for 2 months now and well my hubby has worked close to 70 days straight now. Well he had two days off to drive here and get settled but a 16 hour drive is hardly a day off. Anyhow... I am getting ansy and want to do something or give myself something to look forward to so I did. I booked our timeshare in California for October 31st through November 5th. We are going to go to San Francisco California on the 28th and hang out. Probably hit Alcatraz on that saturday. I have been there before but Rick hasn't and I know he would love it. Then this is the best part for Rick -I am excited about it too. We are going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game at the 49ers home on that sunday the 30th. Then we will head to Anaheim after driving through Sequoia National Park. We will spend 5 days there hitting the theme parks and beach and stuff. Then we may go to San Diego so we can go to Legoland and possibly the Zoo. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

So I have this plan to have my kids earn this trip. They are getting old enough to understand many things. In other words they have some how turned into the snottiest kids ever and I have tried everything. Besides making them bleed or pass out for a few days. I am gonna go with the marble method. I am going to give them each a jar and when they do something nice they get a marble when they do something bad they lose a marble. They have to earn all the marbles before we go. I pray this works. It will relieve my tension from not getting so angry with no answer and hopefully they will learn from it. I saw it on one of those new nanny shows. So wish me luck.

Weekend, Weight Watchers, and Whatever else

So the weekend came and went pretty quick. I don't like when the weekend goes so dang fast, but what can you do. I spent a few hours outside on Saturday pulling weeds and cleaning up some of the yard. It's amazing what a few hours of work will do when you put your mind to it. Anyway, it was fun working in the yard and the nice part about it was that it wasn't too hot. We had a bbq on Saturday at Copperton Park, it was a lot of fun. Then we did dinner at the in-laws and that was pretty fun too.

Weight Watchers is going well. I realized that it helps you loose weight without having to cut back on the things you like to eat. Instead of eating and eating and eating, you limit what you have and wala, you loose weight. I'll keep ya posted on how it's going.

There really isn't a whole lot of whatever else, I started this post an hour ago and with all the breaks inbetween, the whatever else I had in mind is no longer there.

Another Weekend Gone

So, another weekend has slipped by us. I'm actually glad that this weekend is over because it wasn't the best of weekends. Friday, we went shopping. Not just regular shopping, but school clothes shopping. Not just school clothes shopping but specific style and colors because the school our kids are going to is a uniform school.

I have mixed emotions on this. The only downside that I have is the initial investment into the new attire. Since they didn't have things that would fit within the requirements, we had to buy new clothes. So, Aurora and Mason each have 3 new outfits.

The only other problem that I can see, and it is just getting used to this idea, is that the kids need to change from school clothes to play clothes immediately upon return from school.

Well, the rest of the weekend was ok. Had a bbq on Sat night. Learned that I don't like lamb ribs. (Almost everyone else hated them also.) The meat has a different flavor that wasn't palatable. I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to see whether you have the same results. At least I can say I tried it once.

Friday Has Come

Well Friday has come. What a joy. Friday around the office is usually pretty quite. I've been working on my project all day and have decided to let a few things slide and move on. I'm going to get into the Java stuff here shortly and then I have a meeting at 2 and that's all for the day pretty much. I was going to walk over to the hospital and get some stuff, but decided not to. Ok, well time to go. Goodbye!

Wascally Wabbits

For those of you that don't know, we have invested in a rabbit. Cage, water bottle, food, etc. It's a cute little female rabbit that has a fun personality. Apparently, most rabbits are like that. They like to have fun and play around.

We have done this for a couple of reasons.

(1) For fun. Basically we felt 2 dogs and a cat just wasn't enough so we got another furry thing.

(2) Apparently, rabbits are edible. Not sure how I feel about this, but if we can't go over on groceries for a month... (Actually, this is a partial truth. We don't have to be low on the grocery budget.) Ok, real truth. From my previous posts, Aly and I are looking at ways to get back to basics. We are thinking of what a self-sufficient life would be and raising your own food would be a good start. Because of where we live, pigs, goats, cows and chickens are out of the question. So, we start with the next best thing.

Well, as I was doing some research on the computer, my wife called me to inform me that we are out of bedding material for Fidget (that's the rabbits name.) I went to Walmart and bought bedding and a few treats for the rabbit. Its been fun and the kids have gotten involved with it. They have had fun with the rabbit as well.

So, those of you interested, I have purchased a booklet on building rabbit cages and we are going to learn to breed them in the not-to-distant future. For those of you that want pets, let me know. For those of you that don't, I've got some recipes also.

Just Another Day

So today, I woke up, after sleeping pretty crappy last night, it was noisy around our house and we sleep with our windows open. Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, not too tired, not extremely awake, but in a good mood. When I left I had a bit of bounce in my step as if today was going to be a good day. So far it's working out pretty good. Started to do Weight Watchers with my wife, well kind of, she's paying for it and I'm just eating what she eats for the most part. Maybe I'll get skinny too. You never can tell if you don't sign up but I'm going to wait a few months and then maybe I'll sign up. Anyway, the day isn't half over and I'm already 3/5 of the way to my point total that I made up for myself. We'll have to see what happens. Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that at this moment in time, the day is going pretty good and looks to be headed in that direction.

I started reading a book today called, Dark Force Rising, it's by Timothy Zahn and it is part of the Star Wars books. It's pretty good, it's #2 in a 3 book series. I think I'll finish that and then start on Robert Jordan again. Well that's about it for now. Laters.

Nonsense ramblings

I guess it all started off last night when the lawn mower ran out of gas with only two or three strips left to mow. "Put more gas in it" is the reply I hear from all of you, well it was 8:30 and I didn't want to drive down to my sisters to get it. I know lousy excuse, but it had been a long day. Well today, I took some of my lunch hour to read some stuff in the paper and on ESPN.com. If you all remember a few months ago I stopped doing the Sports secion on my blog, because the sports I really care about kind of ended, or at least the seasons of the teams that I like. Well this year I'm getting more excited about the upcoming NFL and NBA seasons. The 49ers will hopefully do better then the tragic season that they had last year, and crossing my fingers or knocking on wood, the Jazz won't be sidelined with so many injuries. One thing that makes me laugh is the way people get about their sports teams, if they the management make a stupid, or what a fan thinks is stupid, then the fan runs for the hills and becomes a fan of whomever won the last NBA Championship, btw, congrats Spurs. Let's remember that true fan loyalty is being loyal in in the face of adversary, or as people here in Utah are thinging, the return of Greg. To anyone who cares, I'm a Greg Ostertag fan, yes, I wish he was more consistant, but for the most part he's a great player. Anyway, loyal fans, grab your Jazz foam fingers and other Jazz merchandise and let's get ready for a great year. That's all, pretty lame, but it made me feel better. Laters.

Low blood content....

Today was my day to go donate blood. If you are eligible, you can donate once every 8 weeks. I always feel better after donating blood. Not because I'm doing something for others (which is a good thing and I do feel good about that, but that's not why.) I read somewhere that it is healthy for men to give blood on occasion. Kind of like eathing a salad is healthy, getting bled every once in a while is good also.

I'm not sure if this is propoganda to donate or to make friends with a vampire (but I wouldn't put it past those darn vamps to try to do something like this) or whether it is a true health benefit of donating. ANYWAY, I feel a lot better for a couple weeks after. The day of is always a little difficult. I get a little drawn and am usually in need of a nap but that could be because I don't sleep as much as I should, eat as well as I should or do that exercise thing that everyone talks about (mental note, need to look up exercise to find out exactly what it is.)

So, I'm tired, it's almost time to go home and then I can think about going to bed earlier. I probably won't because I haven't finished HP6 yet, but its a thought.

I Finally Finished HP

I liked it, espically at the end when Harry kills Ron for snogging wiht Luna. Haha, just kidding, that would never happen...Ron wouldn't snog Luna. Anyway, I was mostly impressed with the book, J.K. Rowling did a good job and getting into the hearts of the readers and helps you live in Hogwarts with some of them. I find myself getting excited about the Quidditch matches and what is going to happen in the next class with Snape. I'm not going to write anything that gives anything away, and B, if you were talking about me telling you something, sorry, didn't mean too. Anyway, there was one part of the book that had to fit in there but for me got really boring and seemed that all Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going to do is fight about one thing or another. But that was only for a couple chapters and then it all seemed to clear up. Anyway, I liked the book and will be reading the whole series again once the last one gets closer to coming out. If the dumb author would get off her butt and work...haha. Ok, well there are my opinions for the person who hasn't read it and I have my speculations as does everyone, but I'm not going to start doing it now because it would give some stuff away. Laters!

Men vs. women

Whadda Blog
Can we just take a moment and talk about men vs. women. I received an email that was fairly accurate on how to please each other. Basically women are high maintenance and Men just want food, sleep and sex. Not neccessarily in that order. I just don't undestand why we have to be so different. Referring to my hubby and I. Lets just put it this way I care about things and he doesn't give a hoot about much.

Men have it too easy. They don't have as many emotions, worries, stresses and what not. Men unfortunately get to be dads when it is convenient. No offense guys but the opportunity you have to get up and do pretty much what you choose. You don't think well what do I do with the kids? do they need baths? food? etc. Again not entirely your fault. Yeah you have to work but still work can be an out. When you spend 24/7 with toddlers you will understand why we talk your ears off when you call or get home. Or how we can spend hours on the phone with another mom. Most the men I know are great dads. You men just got a little lucky on the raising the kids end. Its really not your fault its just the way it works. Just remember that us ladies didn't get ourselfs pregnant.

Men like it when we cook, clean and give special treatment and do those house wife type of things like in the old days and that is ok. I am fine with that but I think us ladies deserve to have the utmost respect that women used to get. Flowers, love, romance, hell a car door being opened would be nice once in a while. If men want old fashioned women that "stay in the kitchen" then you better be an old fashioned man that makes us feel like a million dollars no matter what.

Talking is another issue. Women love it men hate it. What is up with that? I talk a lot I know it. I speak my mind I know it. Why should I hold it all in so I can have issues down the road, yeah thats a good idea. Guys talk a lot too but usually about nonsense. My hubby could go on for hours making fun of me or those around me. Or I talk he makes fun of me then I get mad so I stop talking and he all the sudden wants to talk. I don't get it. Funny thing is if I am talking to much I get told to stop and if I am not talking at all I am told to start. Weird how that is. Damned if I do, Damned if I don't.

Okay here is another. Why can men dish the crap but can't take it? I see it in every man I know. They punch you its funny. You punch them back and they get mad. They make fun of you its hillarious but when the tables turn and they want to have a somewhat serious conversation and you do to them what they do to you they get pissy about it.

I just wonder every day why we are so different and why we are ok with that. I just wonder if us ladies started acting more like the men what would happen. I am not huge into the whole women taking over the world thing. Anything a man can do so can women. Well if ladies want to more power to ya. I don't mind being the wife and mom but I do expect the respect and appreciation I deserve for doing it thats all.

Taking a moment to blog...

So, why do people have to vent? I'm not complaining, I'm a venter myself. I guess a better question would be, why are people stupid and cause people to vent? So to shorten it, Why are people stupid? That's the question of the day. Why are people stupid? Don't get me wrong, I'm a stupid person sometimes, but not as stupid as others. For instance, when you are driving down the road and someone isn't really staying in their lane and you finally get enough space to pass them, you notice that they are talking on a cell phone or doing their makeup, I've even seen people reading a book or newspaper. Anyway, that's the stupid I am talking about. People who do things that interupt what we think should be normal and it causes the nerves to boil and then we vent. Venting is great though, espically to someone who has seen that same tard on the road. It helps to get a good laugh at others expense sometimes. Anyway, I haven't vented today, it's been a pretty good day, but I'm pretty sure that by the time we reach the end of the day, I'll have done it at least once. That's all, this moment has turned into quite a break here at work.

SSDD

Well, today being Thursday means we are one day closer to the weekend than we were yesterday. It is the gateway to Friday just as the previous Thursdays have been. The days and weeks just roll on faster and faster. Things just build momentum and before you know it, you are well into a new month.

Today is just one of those days. You realize that you no longer worry about the date because the day of the week is more important. You don't normally watch a calendar on a regular basis unless you have a special event coming up. You refer to days as Monday or Tuesday and when pressed about the actual date, you have to concentrate really hard or refer to a calendar or you computer.

Anyway, that's my ramble for the day.

For fun stuff, I finished my library book and now have started on HP6. I've just finished through chapter 3 of 30. Things are pretty exciting thus far. So, don't post any spoilers as comments. I've already received one and am not happy about that. (For the person that released that info, if you read this, you know who you are and what you said. Shame.....)

Success!!

Well we did it! Tiaree successfully completed her first day of school. I successfully got through her first day of school with minimul crying. It's really funny because when I saw her short little face sticking up looking out the window of the bus I had such a wave of relief wash over me. I was sooo nervous to have her come home all by herself on the bus. But I grew a backbone and let her and she got home just fine. She has a tag she wears that tells what bus she is on, her home address and her name. Her teacher put her down on the list for the right bus right in front of me so I was somewhat calmed by that fact. I knew her teacher would get her on the right bus. I was so worried because I forgot to tell her what stop to get off at. But luckily there is only one stop before the one she gets off at and I can see that bus stop too. The only problem is that she was too excited to get off and left her backpack on the bench and had to wait to go get it until all the kids got off. But a nice boy went ahead and grabbed it and gave it to her.
I can't believe that my little girl is old enough to go to Kindergarten and old enough to ride the bus by herself. Tiaree might be able to fall right into the routine of things but Mom is going to take some adjusting to get used to it!

Here we are again...

Ok, so I said I'd blog laters and here it is laters and I'm blogging. I just ate two hot dogs for lunch and I'm washing it down with a little Dr. Pepper. It wasn't a bad lunch, except I think that the hot dog buns were a little moldy, at least I got a funny taste in my mouth that could have been mold. I finished the hot dog, just not the bun. Anyway, now that you know what I had for lunch today, what did you have?

Well life is going well right now. I'm still having a hard time realizing that it is August. The year is going really fast, which is good and bad. Yesterday marked the fourth month of living in the new house, and I was realizing how fun it was as I did some little house maintenance chores. I like being a home owner, but I know that it is going to be a lot of fun as things get older and older. We finally got our sprinkler system set up to run on the timer, it's so nice. One less think I have to worry about. Next up is the fence, which is going to be a lot of fun.

So in my efforts to write a novel or a short story or just a first page to something I have an idea of how I'm going to start it. Here it goes, let me know what you think...

"It happened"
"What happened"
"It...you know..."
"Oh, that. When do you leave?"
"This afternoon. I'm on the 1:21 flight to New York."
"They don't waste time do they."

Ok, so I didn't give you as much as I wanted to, but I got side tracked and lost my train of creative thought. Or whatever you want to call it. Anyway, I think starting out that way is going to work ok, introductions will come shortly after that opening dialog and then it will go into the rest of the story. Let me know what you think of something starting out that way.

Today's the Big Day

Today is the day Tiaree starts school. I'm a little nervous. It will be fun to get home and talk to her about it. Ok, well I'll blog again later.

Blog of the Day

Well, my car wasn't ready yesterday so I will be getting it today. I called, its ready, I can come and pick it up. So, that's pretty exciting.

Still deciding on the part-time job thing. I applied at one place and plan on putting in a couple of other resumes. I was planning on doing one yesterday but did some other errands instead. Our dryer had gone out on us. That actually makes 2 dryers. Irma's, which she left in the house, died a couple of weeks ago. The dryer that we had previously didn't want to work properly either. So, we went to a place that sells refurbished appliances and got another one. Hopefully it will work better.

I got the books that I recently ordered. One is a back to basics type book, two of them are farming type books and the last is on the designing and building of rabbit housing. We looked through them and they are very informative. I will start reading them soon. I think it will be fun to start learning some farming/gardening techniques.

Wow, It's Been a While

As the creator of this blog, I'd like to welcome me back. Thanks. It's been a while since I blogged. I went on vacation and didn't get on the computer till late in the week last week and it was only to look something up online. Nothing long enough to blog, although it only takes like a minute to put something online. To let you know what's going on in our lives, Tiaree starts school on Wednesday. Big step in our family. We are going school shopping tonight which should be loads of fun. Anyway, I need to get some stuff done, just wanted to welcome myself back and share a little info.

Changes....

We have started with some of the changes that we discussed. First, I went and bought another vehicle. I actually get it today because there are a couple of things they had to fix. It's a cheap car that will help me get around a little giving me some freedom from the UTA transit system.

Second, I have applied for a job with another company. This will be a second, night/weekend type position. I also have by brother-in-law putting out some feelers to see if there is anything else out there also. I'm looking at a non-desk type preferrably in a retail type setting. I am also going to look at Hollywood Video because, well, I actually like that store.

If neither of those pan out, I may look at gas station because, well, part time menial work is part time menial work. The money earned will help pay for the increase in the budget with the new car (payment, fuel, insurance, etc.) but will also help give us the cushion we need to start makeing some other changes. Not 100% on what those changes will be but it doesn't hurt to put the money away for them right now.

Another thing that has really been bothering me of late is that we, as a family, do not have a consistant work ethic (I say that as I'm blogging on company time, so what does that tell you?) Actually, we don't focus so much on what needs to be done. Instead, we focus on what is easy and will give us that notch that we did something today. For example, (not sure if I mentioned this or not but we have a new rabbit and a hamster), Mason will change the water for the rabbit and call it good for a day. It is 1 task just as cleaning his bedroom is 1 task but the rabbit is easy and then he can say he did a chore.

We did spend a good amount of time in the backyard getting some things cleaned up. Have quite a few things to do still. I'm looking at doing a dump run by the end of the month as we are getting a pretty good stack going. Once I get rid of that junk, finish mowing down the weeds, and get rid of the car in the backyard (that doesn't run), life will be a lot better.

The stitches are out

Last night I went and had my stithes removed. For those of you that don't know, I had 3 stitches in the tip of my right index finder. We had a broken window that I was removing glass out of a week and a half ago and my finger caught one of the edges.

I really didn't want to go to the InstaCare, but I did anyway. So, last night, I'm happy that they are now out. My finger is healing fine. It still feels a little funny because there is a scab under the tip that hasn't disolved yet, but soon.

So, I can type a little better these days.

Life

Recently, my wife and I have been discussing our life in general. I can't say we are entirely excited about the position we are in. Not to say we are in a bad position, we just want something different.

I, myself, am tired of the 8-5 desk job. I want something different. I have a few ideas, but don't know that I'm 100% into being able to do it or wanting to do it. Plus the fact that I make a certain amount that I need to maintain to provide for my family.

Second, I think we are fed up with the Salt Lake area. It was so nice to get out of town this weekend and go to Manti. We passed through Manti, Ephraim, and a couple of other small towns south east of Salt Lake. Here's a good example of the differences.

I drive about a mile to get to the local Smith's store. It's not that long of a drive but with all the other "drivers" out there and all the lights, it is extremely frustrating. THEN, when I get there, its a hassle to find a parking spot, shop, buy, and get out. Everyone you run into is so rude. They cut you off on the roads and then with the shopping carts too.

Compare that with the shopping trip to Ephraim (which does have a Walmart by the way). We lost the pin for our trailer hitch. I needed a $2 part but we were in Manti Canyon. It took me 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to get down the canyon, drive through Manti down the road to the end of Ephraim. I get there, not at all minding the drive because it was peaceful for the most part (no one cutting me off) and get to Walmart. Most of the people I passed coming down the canyon are very courteous and most of them wave. I get to the Walmart in Ephraim and find a parking space pretty close to the store. I get inside and its not that crowded. Those that are there, make sure they are kind and courteous. I get to the check out without much of a problem. I drive back up the canyon with similar results as before.

There you have it. We haven't figured out what we want to do yet, but we have tossed around a few ideas. We are not going to do anything drastic in the next little while, but we are definately looking at making some changes. Hopefully in the next couple of years if we can manage to make changes that we would like.

Blog time

Well I haven't been on for a while but I feel I could blog for days. But here is one issue that strikes me hard. So we are here traveling around to new places working in these walmarts. Pros for them are well obviously money, working in the same place for 4 to 6 weeks, seeing new places, and well money. The cons are that we aren't at home. Being here for me does and is a lot better then being home alone. But here is my issue. Rick has had two employees/friends/family that I think have shown some interesting sides to them. One (his bestfriend) quit to make a lot less money and go to live in a city about 15 minutes outside of Casper, WY. I just don't understand. Knowing what Rick offered him and well offered to take his wife and baby too. I guess I am greedy I would have jumped all over it. Well he leaves mind you without any notice, then when he finds out we are going to work in Casper so he calls Rick and asks if he can come help out a little bit. I think "no" you jipped my hubby and now you want a favor and anyhow how much do we pay him. Its not fair to pay him what we were. Who knows its all frustrating. Then on to the second employee (his cousin) right after the first quits Rick and I ask very specifically are you gonna stick around and do this with us for a long while. Walmarts I mean. The answer is yes. So Rick and I figured that would be for at least 1 or 2 years. Well he gets a $2.00 an hour raise in town and he is definitely getting paid way too much for working here. Considering I myself could work faster then him. We find out earlier this week that he is quitting after Casper. Unless we have work in town then he might stick around for a little while but is no longer traveling. I know its hard to travel when you have a girlfriend at home but since what we are paying him will pretty much get him completely out of debt. He doesn't need us any more. I guess I am just so damn tired of false promises and people who can't be straight forward. It may upset us for a moment when you come out with things and feelings but finding out via the grapevine and stuff upsets us for much longer. This business is fun but hard to do with family and friends. Hell its hard period. So what do you do with an over generous hubby and people that take advantage of him? It hurts me to see it and well Rick just takes it with a F#$% it attitude. The other hard part too is knowing how much my hubby wants to do these Walmarts and how hard it is to find good hard working employees that will stick around. Who knows. Well that felt good to get of my chest. Beats paying a counselor for it. HAHA. Until the next blog.