Mind Numbing Rantings

Fun on the Fourth

2009-07-05T21:49:00.006-07:00

My family got together at my parents house for a bit of fireworks on the fourth. Crystal brought the camera so I decided to play a bit. I'm pretty impressed with how some of them turned out.

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

2009-03-22T20:38:00.004-07:00

So this weekend was my birthday. Not just any birthday but this was the first one of the the dreaded birthday milestones. The big 30! In light of that situation, Crystal has been planning what was officially dubbed as "Chad's Birthday Celebration" for the last year or so. She wouldn't let me in on the secret and despite having told several people what she had up her sleeve, it never got back to me.

So on Friday I left work early as instructed and we started to drive. We ended up driving for a few hours and the final destination was Moab. She then told me what my present was, and here it is....

The catch was that I only got to keep it for one day, but oh what a day we had!

The pictures just don't do justice to what it feels like to be in the jeep going up and down some of these rocks.

This was one of the trails that we went on. If you look carefully you can see it follow the sandstone fins into the distance.

Some of us weren't so happy about being in the Jeep all day, but 3 out of 4 ain't too bad.

We had an awesome day and way too much fun. We even did some hiking and enjoyed the warm weather. I'll post more later, but I was so excited about the best birthday present ever, that I had to post something now. Thanks Crystal!

Young at Heart....

2009-02-26T19:46:00.002-07:00

Created by Train Horn

So apparently only teenagers are supposed to be able to hear this noise, but I heard it. I guess that means I'm still young. I tend to think that this is more of a test to tell who takes care of their hearing, but I did my fair share of loud music and shooting guns without hearing protection that I probably shouldn't be able to hear it. So let me know your results.

WORK < REWARD

2008-12-15T23:39:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of being a software engineer (a.k.a code monkey) is that I can do my job from pretty much any location. My new employer is fairly flexible and has told me that on occasion working from home is allowed. Sometime Friday night I injured my lower back and have been in pain since. This morning when I woke up I decided that it would be a good day to try out the work from home bit. Despite my initial reservations about not being able to get anything done, it went rather well. Let me tell you, writing code while sitting in a lazy boy, it’s not half bad. Crystal was even nice enough to bring me some crepes while I was working and they were eating their breakfast.

The best part happened in the late afternoon. Ben had just returned home from his cousin’s house and stormed down the stairs to where I was. He walked over to me and pointed to the mouse that I was using on the arm of the chair, and asked me to move it. Curious to see what he was plotting I moved it to the other side of the chair. Ben then proceeded to climb onto the chair, give me a hug and said, “I really love you Dad.” I love the fact that Ben is a loving child and expresses it often. Even though I think that I am just “faking it”, it’s times like this where I think I might be doing something right.

So all in all, I like having the option to work from home, but I don’t think that I would want to do it every day. Just on special days, which hopefully will be even more special with more hugs and kisses.

Work...Work..Work

2008-11-23T22:12:00.002-07:00

I’ve been at my new job for a month now and things seem to be going pretty well. They haven’t fired me yet! I work with really nice people and I get along with all of them really well. About half of my team has been there six months or less, so I’m not the only new guy.

As for the job itself, I like it so far. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the company sells software solutions for retail businesses. (Customer List) While our main software suite is pretty flexible some of our customers wish to use a more customized interface. That is what my team does. We add functionality to the existing software to make it all fit together really nicely. For example, a auto lube chain, may get all of the functionality they want from out software for sales, inventory and employee scheduling, but they also want something that can track vehicle service history and provide a list of recommended services for a specific vehicle with specific mileage. So my team will take those requirements and create a system that will do what they want and tie it into the retail.net side of things.

We use java, which I used at Teltronics, so the language isn’t really too new, at least the basics of it. I used to have my own office with windows that overlooked Sugarhouse Park, now I’m in the basement of an old building. I went from covered parking to having to park in a lot a block away and walking to the building. Those are the big drawbacks, the positive side far outweighs the negative. The people I work with are great, I have good equipment to work on, we have quality procedures and QA people to help test, and I’m having fun sometimes.

In summary I have better benefits, better pay and a better environment. Teltronics taught me some good things, and it was a great stepping stone, but this job already seems to be better place and better for me. Plus I have done some good work already and feel like I am contributing to the project aka. I'm useful.

I would like to thank all of the little people...

2008-11-23T22:07:00.001-07:00

I decided that I was going to write down a few things for which I am thankful. Maybe it’s the time of year that inspired me and maybe it’s just because I am feeling loved and glad for the happy things in my life, so here goes:

I am very thankful for a wife who cares about me and sacrifices all of her time, energy and dreams to care for our family. I couldn’t do it and sometimes she makes it look easy.
I am thankful for a family who brought me breakfast in bed.
I am thankful for being able to enjoy a good football game, once in a while.
I am thankful for two loving children who continue to love me in spite of all the mistakes that I make while trying to raise them.
I am thankful for cooler weather, warm blankets, and children to snuggle with.
I am thankful for all of my family (both sides) and their love and support of me.
I am thankful for being healthy.
I am thankful for good entertainment and friends to share it with.
I am thankful for all of my friends who forgive me for not contacting them all of the time, but who know that I still love them.
I am thankful for hugs and grandma’s who give them.
I am thankful for love, and those who give and those who allow me to give it to them.

I am blessed with many things in my life, some large and some small, but I hope that I can try to be thankful for them all.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat....

2008-10-26T11:20:00.002-07:00

Some of you may have heard that I was quite lucky in my new job search and I will be starting the new job tomorrow. I'm a little (or a lot) nervous but I think that I will be able to do the job. I think change always makes me a little nervous. It sounds like a good company, but I am sure that I will find out more in the days to come. The company name is Tomax and they do software for retail businesses. The location is pretty good, close to downtown and about six miles closer to home than the last job. (I am always in favor of shortening the commute.)

I can't help feeling that this is a process that I will need to get used to. I think that in the field of Software Engineering it is quite common to get a new job every few years. That seems weird to me but at the same time, perhaps a little exhilarating. Change is hard, but most hard things turn out to be good things in the end. So we'll just wait it out, raise our glasses and make a toast to the future. Hopefully it won't be happening again for at least a couple of more years.

Oh sNOw!

2008-10-12T13:17:00.004-07:00

I can't believe how much snow we got last night. It's too early for this kind of stuff. I even had to break out the shovel. BAH!

After the Flood Part I

2008-10-12T13:03:00.004-07:00

So I took some pictures of the basement after it's all dried out. The damage is pretty extensive and will take some time to fix. Hopefully the repair work will start later this week. It's been fairly interesting to live in the guest room once again, but this time with two little children. It's hard not having our stuff accessible or having our own space, but we have to recognize how blessed we are that we have a place to live and friendly people to live with.

Thanks

2008-09-22T20:06:00.002-07:00

As some of you know, on Friday, Crystal and I came home to find about three feet of water in the cold storage room and then water damage throughout other parts of the house. I can't express the gratitude that I feel for all of those who showed up (and there were a lot) to help us in our time of need. Many ward members and family and friends were there in an instant and worked all night beside us. To all of them I say THANK YOU! We couldn't have done it without you.

The "No Thank You" Bite

2008-09-10T22:12:00.003-07:00

We have a little rule in our household (I believe that we picked up this particular rule from Crystal's sister) that in order for someone to leave the dinner table they must take at least one bite of all of the items on the plate and then if they do not wish to eat further they can say, "No thank you". Beepers was being his normal self tonight and didn't want to eat any of his cheesy potatoes. After a verbal struggle, two stints in the dreaded "corner" and he finally took a small bite of potatoes.

Crystal and I were basking in our small victory when suddenly Beepers in the middle of chewing his potatoes, suddenly and without warning vomited on the floor by the table. All of us kind of stood there in shock for a minute and then we couldn't help but laugh. I don't think we will ever know if Beepers had a sick stomach or if he just convinced himself that the potatoes were not going down, but either way they didn't make it.

Being a parent is interesting difficult work and this will probably turn out to be one of those "you had to be there" moments, but sometimes you just have to laugh at life, even at gross as something as this, or it will literally drive you insane.

It's all French to me.

2008-06-21T11:08:00.004-07:00

This morning I wanted to make Crystal a special breakfast, but I had no idea what to make. Last night I searched the web and finally found this quiche recipe that sounded really good. So I got up a little early this morning, grabbed bright eyed Jack, and headed to the store to get the necessary items.

To make a long story short, we came home and cooked it. It was scrumptious. I am not a master cook, but luckily enough it's an easy recipe. So go ahead and try it, I think that you will like it.

It has ham, sun dried tomatoes, potatoes and various spices. mmmmmmmmm!

Sweet Reminders

2008-06-21T10:58:00.004-07:00

Today is a special day, because as some of you already know, it was six years ago today that I made the best decision of my life. Six years ago Crystal and I were married and it is absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. It's awesome because we were already friends and we had been for a long time, but now we have an excuse to spend almost every minute of every day together. I never get tired of her and I love everything that she does. Being a mom and wife is hard, thankless work, but she does an excellent job at both. I am so thankful that she decided to marry me and that she brings this joy and excitement into my life everyday.

Thank you Crystal for everything and here is to looking into eternity with you!

Milestones

2008-04-16T16:59:00.002-07:00

Hey look, I'm actually not dead and I can still type. I am not quite sure why I haven't written a post in such a long time, other than the fact that I didn't think that I had anything interesting to write about.

So for the past year, Crystal and I have had a membership to the South Davis Recreation Center aka the Gym. We have had a ton of fun taking Beepers swimming and he loves it. I decided that I wasn't going to let all that money go to waste so I started to go to the gym in the morning before work. I usually spend some time on the treadmill and I have surprised myself at how anyone can do well if they just keep doing it.

Seeing as how I am a freak and I love to keep track of numbers, today marked the 200th mile that I have run or walked on the treadmills at the gym in the last year. I know I toot my own horn a lot on this blog, but I figured that it was a good accomplishment. Here's to the next 200!

Mind Boggling

2008-01-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today I solved a Rubik's Cube for the very first time! Granted I had to use the instructions to do it, but I still felt like it was somewhat of an accomplishment. I decided to go and get a cube because last weekend my sister was playing with one and was telling me that she has now solved it about three times. Being the official "Geek" of the family, I just couldn't let that slide. (Yes, I know that I am pathetic.) So even though it was something that I always thought would be fun to do, I owe it all to my sister.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

We just want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Conversational Wizard

2007-12-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

This was part of a Saturday morning breakfast dialogue between Beepers and myself.

Beepers(B): sniff… sniff. I smell something..

Me: What do you smell?

B: I don’t know, but I smell something.

Me: Do you need me to change your diaper?

B: No.

Me: Are you sure you don’t need your diaper changed?

B: I don’t need my diaper changed!

B: I smell something. (Wrinkles nose).

Me: What does it smell like?

B: It smells like poop!

Me: What is it then?

B: I think it’s you.

What do you say to that!

The slippery slope

2007-10-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

The other day when as I was preparing to leave for work, I noticed that it had been pretty stormy and nasty outside. I looked out to check for snow, because the forecast had suggested that it was possible. Luckily it was not snowing, so I took a little extra time to get ready. Twenty minutes later when I made my appearance outside, much to my surprise I discovered that there was a half an inch of hail and sleet on the ground. Normally this is no big deal, but for those of you that don’t know where I live, on one end of my street is a big hill to go up to a main road and on the other end of my street is a steeper hill down. Normally I always go up the hill because it is faster, but on days when it is really slippery, that is not an option. Well, I watched another car try and fight its way up the hill and fail, so I decided to go the other way. Keep it slow and make the first turn and the worst of it is over. I carefully drove down the street, turned on to the hill and then tapped the brakes to slow down a little. When I tapped the brakes it didn’t slow me down but caused the car to start sliding, now not only was I not able to slow down, but steering wasn’t an option either. There are a few feelings in this world that I didn’t ever need to experience and this was one of them. Realizing that I couldn’t do anything and just watching myself, approach the curb where the road turns. It seemed to take forever, but it probably didn’t. BLAM! Contact with the curb, my car was spun slightly to the side and now both wheels on the passenger side were against the curb, and yes I was still sliding. Down the hill I went scraping against the curb, until the steepness of the hill started to level out. At this point I was able to narrowly steer around a garbage can and bring the car to a stop. It would have been funnier to have hit the garbage can and strewn garbage everywhere, but I am glad that I didn’t.

I jumped out into the storm to check the damage. It was still mostly dark and I couldn’t see very much but I knew that the wheel was somewhat bent up. I went back up the hill, to get the pieces of my hubcap and then climbed back into the car. My cell phone then rang, and slightly dazed I answered. It was my boss, who doesn’t live too far away from me. He was asking me if I was crazy enough to be driving to work and that if I hadn’t left I should stay home and wait for a couple of hours before leaving. Sadly I told him part of the story and that I would probably just try and make my way to work, I certainly wasn’t going to try and go back up the hill.

To sum up the rest of the story, I drove the car to work, vibrating very badly the whole way, did a quick inspection of the damage and went in to work. (Where the servers had died from the storm and everyone was waiting for me to fix it.) At lunch I went down and looked at the bent wheel, and decided to put the spare on. It drove much better and later in the day I drove it to the tire place to have them look at it. As it turns out, I got pretty lucky and only had to buy one new wheel and get an alignment. I’m still mad that it happened, but am very happy that it didn’t cost me a thousand dollars to fix. What a day!

The 1,000,000 dollar question

2007-08-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

When I posted the last blog with the pictures I had just run home from the hospital to take a shower, publish a quick post and then go back. When I returned to the hospital Crystal asked me what I had put in the post. Then she asked, did you put if it was a boy or girl? Ummmmmmmmmm, whoops! So when I returned home the next day I was not too surprised to find several eager comments to find out the answer to said question. Apparently some think that it is a very important question. (Pull my head out indeed!)

So today being my dubious self I toyed with the idea of making you all take an online quiz, to see what the popular vote on the issue was. Then I realized that I don't have that many readers and most of them expressed their guess in the comments on the last post. So after much babble, and idle talk, I will get down the the answer that you have all been waiting for.............. Let's just say that we are now 2 and 0. That's right another boy, Beepers has a brother. We'll post more later.

Are pictures really worth a thousand words....You tell me?

2007-08-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome baby binkers! 8lbs 7oz, 20 1/2 inches long. Born at 5:20 pm mountain time 8/24/07

Eight is more than enough

2007-07-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

After being tagged by the fabulous Benny K, I realized that this simple feat of listing eight things about myself, would not be as easy as it first appeared. The first thing that I noticed when trying to make this list is that I am extremely , well to put it bluntly, normal. I want to make this list somewhat interesting, even to those who have known me since kindergarten, so I wanted it to be different. Well after brainstorming and toiling I have created the following (yes, some of it is weird, but that's me).

I am easy going and like to try to befriend everyone. That doesn't make me a pushover, but I do tend to concede things that I believe are not that important. Given this point, I really don't like uncomfortable social situations. Sometimes when Beepers and I watch Curious George (it's Beepers favorite cartoon) I feel physically uncomfortable when George is doing something that I know he is going to get into trouble for. That crazy monkey!
Speaking of Uncomfortable social situations, in Jr. High school, I was sitting on a bench (straddling it) waiting for gym class to start. Suddenly that "one kid" ( You know the one I am talking about, the one that everyone hates, but he thinks he has to pick on people to prove how cool he is.) walked up behind me and gave me a "Super" wedgie. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, the elastic band on my "whitey tighties" (yes, I wore those then, and yes I was not cool) ripped away from the underwear and coerced squeals of laughter from those around me. That was not a good day.
I have a very addictive personality, which I have written about here. There are some good things and bad things to this. Good things are that I have done and tried lots of cool stuff, and most of it I try to still do from time to time. (Photography, rock climbing, rappelling, mountain biking, golf, boating, skiing (snow and water), the list goes on.) But sometimes, this can be a bad thing. Let's just say it is a good thing that I don't drink alcohol. ( It would probably make for some funny stories though)
I have struggled my whole life with being overweight. The sum of it is that I simply love food. All kinds of it. My big secret is that I am a closet eater. When I am around people most of the time I can control myself, but when no one is around, I feel really compelled to eat all the time, even when I am not hungry. I am working on this, but it is interesting how sometimes these things just kind of get you.
I have really long eyelashes, and I always have. For years I had to suffer with all of the old ladies at my church always commenting on how unfair it was that I have such long eyelashes and that I was a boy. Needless to say for a young man, this is not a fun experience. To this day I still get comments, but it doesn't bother me as much. Sadly, I passed this on to my son (Sorry Beepers), which makes him a beautiful boy but he will pay dearly for it.
I love technology and gadgets, if it's wireless, has internet, costs a lot of money and can scramble an egg inside of its shell, then it's for me!
I don't give up easily. If I find something that I want, I will get it, even if it takes a while. That is how I convinced Crystal to marry me, I just wouldn't go away!!
Even though I like to play the tough guy, I really carry my emotions close to the surface. I cry when I'm sad ( and sometimes when I am really happy), but I also laugh out loud when I find something funny, and you know what, I don't regret it.

Well that's a little peak into the life of me. There is a lot more than this, but if you really want to know more.... it'll cost ya!

In the honor of tagging people (aka using guilt to get them to write another blog) I don't know many that haven't done it, but I would like to hear from Wired Tiger, madam flutterby, Jen, Adam ( if he wants to start his own blog), and anyone else who feels so inclined.

Slightly Toasted, but Cold in the Center

2007-07-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday being the fourth of July meant that we spent quite a bit of time outside. In being my normal lazy self, I didn't put on any sunblock and got a slight sunburn on my neck. It's really not that bad, just enough so that it bothers you from time to time.

This morning I woke up and realized that what I thought might have been mild allergies yesterday, seems to have evolved into a cold. So here I sit looking out the window at the 100°F weather, with a slight sunburn and a cold. It just doesn't feel right. I hate having colds, but having them in the winter seems to make sense. In the summer when everything is bright and hot, just doesn't seem the right time to have a cold. Am I the only one that feels this way?

101 Reaons Why I Love Crystal

2007-06-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

So this morning I posted a short blurb on my anniversary and how much it means to me. Well a few hours later I found out that Crystal posted this piece and I feel that it shouldn't go unanswered. So here goes 101 reasons why I love Crystal:

She always speaks her mind.
She tries to not always communicate like a woman.
She encourages me to have a better relationship with my son.
She loves me.
She thinks that I am handsome even though I am short and round.
She always makes sure that I am wearing sunscreen.
She is a stupendous cook!
She forces me to try new things.
She has reintroduced me to Utah and its wonders.
She can do math in her head. (Quickly and correctly).
She remembers most everything.
She keeps the house clean.
She does the laundry even though she hates it.
She buys me tools, and encourages me to use them.
She’s gorgeous and she doesn’t know it. ( Better for me ;) )
She encourages me to get exercise.
She wants to stay home and be a mom to our children.
She is an excellent mom.
She feigns interest well when I talk about work or geeky stuff.
She always expects me to improve, but has faith that I can do it.
She isn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty.
She works extremely hard in all things.
She really cares about people.
She does lots of things for others.
She worries about me.
She knows how to use power tools.
Sometimes she wears pigtails.
She lets me play video games even though she doesn’t like them.
She makes sure that I dress well.
She cut my hair even though she was afraid.
She doesn’t yell.
She never makes fun of me when I cry.
She can predict most of my responses and moods, sometimes just by the tone of my voice.
She is very intelligent and helps people with math.
She could have had anyone and yet she chose me!
She lets me spend time with my friends.
She is not easily intimidated.
She tells me she loves me all the time.
She makes sure to give me a hug and a kiss when I get home from work.
She lets me hold the remote.
She knows that sometimes playing with Beepers is more important than housework.
She reads to Beepers every night.
She makes up songs for us to sing as a family.
She took me on a hot air balloon ride.
She keeps me living within my means.
She understands complicated things like insurance.
She has good decoration skills and fashion sense.
She encourages me to help others.
She supported me through school even though that meant that she was basically a single mom for a few years.
She makes sure I eat right.
When I cook dinner, she is grateful.
She likes adventures.
She likes to camp.
She lets me take pictures of her, even though she hates it.
She decides what to eat almost every day. (This is hard to do.)
We compliment each other.
She was daring enough to marry someone shorter than her.
She likes to mow the lawn.
She plans trips well.
She knows I am a geek and loves me in spite of it.
She listens to me.
Whenever I see her I always feel my heart skip a beat.
She can always make me feel better.
When she laughs it brightens my day.
She lets me get the car fixed at a garage, when I don’t want to do it.
She always smells great. Especially her hair.
She can type really fast.
She listens to me tell the same stories over and over and rarely tells me that she has heard that one before.
She loves to support local and small business.
She loves the farmers market.
She always finds great deals and saves us a lot of money.
She helps me make decisions.
She is faster than a speeding bullet, can jump tall buildings in a single bound…well at least to me she can.
She is really good with her hands, making crafts, etc.
She understands my obsessive personality.
She organizes my closet.
She knows where things are.
She doesn’t get mad at me when I can’t remember where that “one” dish belongs.
She can get things off of high shelves for me.
She doesn’t own fifty pairs of shoes.
She is tough.
She makes me feel important and strong.
She tells me when I have bad breath.
She taught me how to ski.
She was the first to take me snowshoeing, X-country skiing and water skiing.
She is usually right.
She encouraged me to finish school, when I wanted to give up.
She gives me a reason to wake up everyday.
She plays Tetris with me.
She is my psychiatrist.
She misses me when I am gone.
She calls me everyday at work to tell me she loves me.
She lets me spoil her.
She has good friends.
She has learned to love German food. (Even sauerkraut.)
We can talk about anything and I never feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
She went on a second date with me, after the first one failed miserably.
She is competitive.
She packs my bags when we go places.
She knows I am not perfect and loves me anyway.
She is everything to me and always will be.

Edit: 102. She bought me an Xbox 360.

Yes, it was her idea first and I am sorry if anyone reading this doesn't care for mushy stuff, but this is how I feel. Happy Anniversary Crystal.

HOLY Matrimony!

2007-06-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today marks a very important day for me, it is our fifth wedding anniversary! Crystal has endured all of my bad jokes, sarcasm, bad tempers and crazy ideas for five years now. Now that is endurance. Honestly, I am so glad that we are together and I would be really lost without her. When I was younger and tired to picture myself as being married, I thought that it would be good, but I was way wrong, it's been absolutely great. I love my sweet princess and my children, and even though we don't have a lot of money I do believe that makes me the richest man of all. So Crystal, if you are reading this, just know that I am looking forward to spending eternity with you.

My Precioussssssssssss!

2007-06-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to make it a habit to go to the gym three times a week, before work. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes I am not, but that is not the point of this post. Before my workout I take all the stuff out of my pockets and remove my wedding ring and I put it in the pocket of my gym bag. I put that stuff in a locker, lock it up and then go on my merry way. After the workout I retrieved the bag and began to empty it's contents. I quickly realized that my wedding ring was missing. I know that I had put it in there, so I searched the bag more thoroughly just to make sure that it wasn't hiding in any of the corners. Much to my dismay it wasn't there. I thought back to earlier that morning and remember that as I was walking from the car to the gym, that was when I began putting the stuff in the gym bag. Oh no! I must have dropped it. I couldn't believe that I lost my ring. To me it's not the fact that it would be semi expensive to replace but even though we have only been married five years, I am attached to it and what it represents. Anyway, I dashed outside to retrace my steps. I started at the main entrance and worked my way back to the car, scanning the ground like a helicopter searching for an escaped convict. Suddenly I spotted something, it was my ring, my precioussssss! Laying right in the middle of the main drive in the parking lot. I can't believe how blessed I am. People must have been walking by it for the last hour and a half and no one picked it up, it didn't get run over even though it was in prime position for cars to drive over it. I still almost can't believe it as I look down and see it resting on my finger. Today was a tiny miracle just for me...

Falls O' Plenty!

2007-05-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Installment two of the infamous Georgia trip. Two more exciting days have passed and now that I have the internet at my fingertips I will keep you all updated. Who knew that Georgia had so many waterfalls, “Not I,” said the cow. In two days we have visited Tallulah Falls, Minnehaha Falls, and Toccoa Falls. The first were grand and large, we climbed down 620 stairs to get to a suspension bridge for a better view. Then we had to climb back up! Minnehaha falls were smaller but amazingly beautiful, lots of cascading falls and it was breathtaking. The third is very tall and drops straight down. It just happens to be on the campus of a religious college, and in 1977 was the site of a horrible flood.

We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast that is nestled into the countryside and very secluded. It was beautiful and very serene, despite the fact that it was a little hard to find. (Off the beaten track!)

We have also tried boiled peanuts, which seem to be very popular here, but I didn’t particularly care for them. We also drove through a lovely little town that had a very strong German influence, and was very pretty. “So little to do and so much time, strike that reverse it.”

Tallaluah Falls

Suspension Bridge at Tallaluah Falls

Crystal and Beepers hiking down the stairs!

Toccoa Falls

Beepers eating a Georgia Peach!

Minnehaha Falls

Crystal at the Bed and Breakfast

Rear view of the Bed and Breakfast!

Life is turning up Peaches!

2007-05-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

So far our trip to Georgia is going great. We have had a blast visiting with our friends and visiting new places. Beepers has been on his best behavior and we are really proud of him, he did exceptionally well on the plane. (Knock on wood, because we still have to go back.)

I have found out that in the last few days we have been to the World’s Largest Aquarium, the World’s Largest Drive In, and America’s Busiest Airport. Whew! We are exhausted. Here are some visuals for those unfortunate souls who cannot be here.

Gettin' some good Southern BBQ!

Eating peach ice cream at The Varisty

At stone mountain.

We were driving around and drove by this weird building and just had to take a picture.

Beepers on the plane.

Crystal and Beepers at the zoo, they let you get really close to the animals.

The family at the zoo, if you look closely you can see elephants in the background.

Beepers pressed up against the glass at the aquarium. Yes that fish was probably that big!

Reading Railroad..

2007-05-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a fairly addictive personality. After school ended last summer and Crystal reintroduced me to the library, I dove right in and started reading books like crazy. Crystal suggested that I keep track of the books that I read, and that kind of appealed to me, so I did it. The only problem is that with me being a geek, I took it one step further and made a spreadsheet with graphs and everything. As I finished a book the other day I religiously updated my spreadsheet and then glanced at the totals, I was actually surprised to see how much I have done since the beginning of the year. *****Brag Alert****** Since January 1st I have read fourteen books totaling 5564 pages. ****** End Bragging ******

I realize that this represents a significant amount of time but I try to limit myself to times when Crystal and Beepers are either sleeping, or otherwise occupied. I really enjoy it and I am excited to see how much I can accomplish before the year's end.

Digger Dan!

2007-05-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

I love having bragging rights.

Beepers loves construction equipment

Camping in Zion Easter weekend. There were reports of Superman in the area.

Hiking in Zion

For some reason Beepers loves green peppers and if anyone is using them to cook for dinner watch out it might turn up missing.

Already an expert climber

My Pursuit of Happyness

2007-05-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

One of Crystal's friends wrote on her blog many of the things in her life, that define happiness. I think it is amazing at how subjective this subject is, but that is what makes it so fun to talk about. Every person can give the canned answers on what happiness is to them, but when you cut through all of that, it is simply stimulating to find out what makes people truly happy. So here goes....

Happiness is staring into the eyes of my son and seeing the pure light and energy shining through.
Happiness is solving the problem that has been puzzling you all day, and jumping out of your chair and yelling for joy!
Happiness is to know that I never have to be alone.
Happiness is the smell of Crystal's hair.
Happiness is the quietness and crispness of the early morning air.
Happiness is good food and even better company.
Happiness is eating more Otter Pops than I know I should. ( Just one more. )
Happiness is fresh bread from a German bakery.

"That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest."

Henry David Thoreau:

No place like home...

2007-04-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

Once again today, I proved the point that I am in fact a geek. I saw the following doormat and laughed like a madman.

I want to find one of these for our house, but Crystal said no!

The other day I had a similar experience when I found a Dilbert cartoon particularly funny, and I went to show it to Crystal and realized that she didn't know or want to know about SQL databases and why the joke was funny. I guess that humor is also a byproduct of what we individually learn.

Edit: As requested here is the Dilbert cartoon.

Halo 3 Video

2007-04-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

This looks so cool. I really like the bubble shield and trip mine stuff. And being able to do replays in slow motion, pure bragging enjoyment. Awesome. I can't wait to play it.

And yes....I am a geek!

Jurassic Farce

2007-03-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

The other day I got home from work and Crystal was cooking dinner. I chased Beepers around for a few minutes and then I needed to look up something on the computer. So Beepers went off and was playing by himself. A few minutes passed and then there was an extremely loud noise that sounded like an explosion followed by static and noise. Crystal screamed and it made me jump in my chair. It only took a few seconds for me to realize that Beepers had turned the volume up all the way on the stereo and then turned on the radio tuner. I jumped out of the chair and ran towards the stereo as a frantic Beepers was running in the opposite direction screaming. I turned off the stereo and went to get Beepers and comfort him. It took a while to calm him down, but he finally stopped crying when Crystal came and comforted him.

The next day I was at work and Crystal called me. She said that she had used the stereo so that Beepers could watch his favorite show, Curious George. As soon as she opened the cabinet that held the stereo, he pointed at it and said, "Scary Dinosaur!". I guess that a dinosaur growl was the only thing that he could associate the noise and fright that he had experienced the day before. It's an interesting connection, but I am sure that he understands it quite well and still has a little bit of fear in him.

Hopefully it will be a while before he gets the courage to mess with the "Scary dinosaur" again.

The Powers of Observation

2007-03-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

Often when I go to public places I like to sit and "people watch". That is I like to observe people, when they aren't really aware of it, and can act normally.(No I am NOT a peeping Tom! Out in public situations only.) Sometimes it's crazy what people will do. The most infamous of which is what happens to us when we get inside of our cars. We have a great sense of privacy in cars, which doesn't really exist. There are windows all around and unless you have tinted windows, everyone else can see you. Most often this only amounts to a small amount of embarassment, such as when you have finished a rousing rendition of Weird Al's "White & Nerdy", and you turn your head to notice the person next to you is staring. Some even suffer the worse fate of getting caught trying to dig out that last elusive booger. Luckily, I haven't been a part of or witnessed anything more serious than that.

Anyway, my original point was on observation. I love to watch Beepers and see all of the stuff that he has learned, just by watching. The other day Crystal told me that he was sitting in the living room and was playing with a clothes hanger. He was sliding it across the floor and at the same time starting saying, "Debit Card". I can only guess that he has learned this from countless trips to the grocery store. I guess that I really need to be careful not to pass on some of my lesser qualities to this great observer. So whatever you do, just remember someone might be watching....

Happy Birthday 2 You!

2007-03-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

Beepers is already two years old! Time really does fly.

Who can resist him?

Like father... like son....

He likes Dinonaurs!

and Elmo..

Are you Stoopid??

2007-03-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

Well I took the test and here are the results:

Click on the graphic to test yourself.

Corporate America Beware!

2007-02-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Last June I purchased a new stick of RAM for our desktop. I purchased the RAM from TigerDirect and for those of you that don't know, TigerDirect sells computer parts at discounted prices, which usually involve a mail-in-rebate. The rebates are often handled by a separate company that specializes in rebates and the processing thereof. I jumped through all of the hoops, crossed all my T's and dotted every i, then sent the rebate in. It was processed and accepted in July 2006, now I just wait for the check. So I waited and I waited, and I waited again. It never came, so I sent them a friendly email. No response. So a few weeks later I did it again, no response. Last week, I sent in the fifth email and over six months have passed and they still have not sent out payment. I was starting to get really frustrated.

Yesterday I was going through my email and noticed an email from this rebate company. It was an advertisement about some special rebate that they had going on, blah blah blah. I was getting ready to delete this piece of junk mail when I noticed that it was in the form of a letter and had the name of the CEO signed at the bottom. What a jerk, I wanted to tell him about how I was being mistreated by his company, and here he was sending me spam. After staring at his name for a few minutes a little dim Christmas light came on in my skull. I had an idea.

I have noticed a trend in most companies when it comes to email addresses, that trend being that most corporate email addresses are some combination of the employee's name. So I feverishly wrote an email explaining my plight and how I have yet to get a response from their so called "Customer Service" department. Now lets say that the CEO's name was Testy McTest and he works for rebate.com. I simply addressed this email to: tmctest@rebate.com, testy.mctest@rebate.com, testymctest@rebate.com, and then I pushed the send button. The chances of one of these addresses being right, is somewhat slim. The chances of my email getting through a SPAM filter are very very slim. The chances of a CEO responding to my email are almost non-existent. I didn't expect anything but I felt better anyway.

So this morning I checked my email, waded through all of the emails asking me if I wanted to enhance myself, or invest in this stock, or win a free laptop, when suddenly my eye fell on the sender of one email. It was from testy.mctest@rebate.com! He sent me a quick note, saying that it would be taken care of and that was that! HA! I couldn't believe it, the long shot payed off..... or at least I hope it does, and if it doesn't I know what email address to send my complaints to.

Equality = Equal?

2007-02-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

The book that I am currently reading is titled, "Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity" and is written by John Stossel of 20/20. To do a quick summary, this book is a compilation of a bunch of popular myths, propagated by the media, that many of us believe today. In his work as an investigative reporter, John has found out the truth that lies behind what we believe. I must say that even though I am only a few chapters in this book, I would recommend it, but that is not the reason for this post.

In the book John dedicates a whole chapter to the inequalities between men and women. I fancy myself as someone who is semi-enlightened and I agree that women should be treated as equals in our society. While I understand that discrimination still exists, I was appalled by some examples in the book, of people who are fighting this war on sexual discrimination.

There are groups of people who believe with all of their heart that men and women should be exactly equal with no differences whatsoever. For example there is a professor of law at George Washington University, that encourages his students to 'sue' people for discrimination. In his own words it's a "good class project." One of the lawsuits that he encouraged, alleged that having "ladies night" at local bars was discriminatory. For those of you that don't know many bars have a ladies night where ladies can get in at no or little cost. This is to attract women to the bar because statistically speaking, men far outnumber the women when it comes to bar visitations. Men enjoy these nights because it attracts more women, and women are motivated to go because of the significant benefit. Everybody is happy, right? Well, not everyone, because these students and their professor, decided it wasn't right. They filed a lawsuit and they won. Now in Washington D.C. it is illegal to have a "ladies night". So now there are even more lonely men in the bars in D.C.

Another great example is when the students decided that it was discrimination for a hair salon to charge different prices for mens and womens haircuts. To quote from the book,

"Charging women more for haircuts is a common sense adjustment to a real sex difference: Taking care of women's hair takes more time. Not always, but often enough that it's prudent to have different prices. The salons don't price their work to hurt women; they price it based on how much time they spend with female customers. If they did charge women "unfair" prices, the free market would punish them- women wouldn't go to these salons."

He goes on to explain how, that if price regulations did come, then certain salons, might stop servicing women altogether, in order to save costs. Plus the cost of lawsuits are passed on to the customer. The professor and his students see no problem with this and are eager to pursue.

I guess the thing that bothers me the most is the blatant disregard for logical thinking. Anyone with half a brain can see, that in most cases there are in fact differences between men and women. In fact, I am very glad there are. But in their efforts to bring equality to the equation they don't seem to care about that and the fact that they are hurting everyone else. They choose to focus on the mundane instead of perhaps the topics that might make a difference.

So in my opinion, Equality doesn't necessarily mean being exactly equal, it means having the fair chance to do what you choose to do (within reason, criminally speaking, etc.). So choose what you want to do, but don't go charging me thirty dollars for a haircut, because I don't have hardly any hair left.

Gettin' Freaky!!!

2007-02-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

While recently watching an episode of Beauty and the Geek (one of my guilty pleasures), they were featuring a book from the bestseller list titled, "Freakonomics" . I thought that it sounded somewhat interesting so I picked it up from the library.

I throughly enjoyed this book. The book is based on research done by an economist that sees the world in a different way. He likes to ask questions that not a lot of people ask, or he likes to find different answers to those questions that we thought we knew the answers to. The book reads very well and even though jam packed with information, I didn't find it boring at all. Here are some of the questions that he asks:

What do schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers have in common?
How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real estate agents?
Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?
What makes a perfect parent?

Even though some of these questions sound very obscure the facts behind it all tell the truth and link it all together. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes facts, odd questions, and wishes perhaps to see things in a different light.

On another note, I hated writing book reports in school, is that what I just did?

Good Times.

2007-01-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Even though some of these pictures are a bit old, they still tell our story that we would like to share with you. It's been an adventure that last couple of years and I think that it is only getting better everyday. And with a face like that, who could argue!!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2007-01-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

Breaking the law = Making the law

2007-01-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

There is a bill being considered currently in the Utah state legislature that deals with traffic laws. Some of the proposals are to raise the speed limit on the interstates by 5 mph, allow police officers to speed without using their lights, require slow moving vehicles to get out of the left lane, and shorten the required amount of time that drivers must signal before changing lanes.

It is not so much the proposed changes that bother me, it is the reasoning that was given in the article for the changes.

"Jenkins says people are already speeding and police officers are already breaking the law by not using their lights. Jenkins says his bill, which has already passed a Senate committee and is expected to be voted on by the full Senate tomorrow, would make state law more in accordance with what drivers are already doing."

It just doesn't make sense to me. Changing the law because people are not obeying it already. To me this would be like,(Brace yourself for the over the top comparison), legalizing prostitution because, hey people are already doing it all over town, so why not give them a clear conscience. I understand that at times laws become outdated and need to be changed, but give me a real reason. Not just the popular teenage excuse, "everyone is doing it". Sometimes I wonder what kind of people we put in office.

Why change the law to fit the people, aren't the laws supposed to help the people change?

Link to KSL Article

Truly Wicked.

2006-12-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

Last week Crystal, Beepers and myself were in the big Apple. We were taking a cruise with Crystal's family from NY to the Bahamas and back. That is a story that I will have to tell when I have more time. While we were in NY, Crystal wanted to go see a Broadway show and obtained tickets to see Wicked. I was intrigued at the brief synopsis that she gave me, but I was not prepared for what I was to behold.

The stage and the props were magnificent, I was really impressed with the quality and the detail. I am not completely without culture and I was expecting to enjoy the show, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. In fact, even now over a week later I am still humming some of the tunes to myself. For those of you who don't know what the play is about here is a brief summary.

"Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years."

The plot was good, it has some funny bits, and the music was great. If you ever get the chance to see this show, I would recommend that you do.

Oh Tannenbaum!!!!

2006-12-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

Christmas is here along with all the good smells, grumpy people, extremely happy people and over priced products. I actually enjoy the Christmas season along with most things that go with it. This last Sunday we decided to put up our Christmas tree and decorate it with all the trimmings. As we were doing so I wondered what the effect would be on our almost two year old son, Beepers. At first he was in awe and stared and pointed. Then awe gave way to curiosity and now, he believes that the funnest game in the world is to pull an ornament off the tree and run away from mommy or daddy as they chase him around the house yelling. He laughs and laughs. It's really hard to punish a child and make it stick when they are being so silly, but then that feeling quickly passes as I get angry because I am trying to punish him and he laughs in my face. This usually ends in a time out session for him and a cool down session for me. Not that I get that angry, it's just frustrating to tell him the same thing over and over, knowing he understands he just chooses not to obey. ( I guess this is the point that most people with children would say, "Welcome to the next thirty years of your life.")

On the bright side, it is fun to see his reaction to all the lights and sounds. Tonight we took him downtown to temple square to see the lights. He enjoyed every minute of it. He kept shouting, "light, light" and "twinkle". (Twinkle is what he chooses to call stars, most of the time. I guess we sang twinkle, twinkle, little star, too much. I think it's cute though.) Last year he was too small to express himself, so this year was much better. I can't wait until Christmas.

I am also hoping to see lots of friends when they come back home to visit. hint hint!

Pumkin Pyrotechnics!

2006-11-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

So, Halloween is over and now you are left with a surplus of mangled pumpkin carcasses. What to do.... Some take the traditional approach and make pies or cakes, and others just throw them in the trash. This year however turned out a bit different. We were invited to witness the result of pumpkins + rednecks + dynamite + a rifle = fun! And here it is for you to behold..

The story begins in the small town of Weston, Idaho. The people were looking for a way to discourage the teens in this small country town from going out and smashing the pumpkins all over the roads. After some discussion, and a pyrotechnicians license later, the annual pumpkin blowup was born. Everyone is invited to bring their pumpkins and then a short time later, a rifle is used to detonate the small amount of dynamite placed at the bottom of the pile. Some of those that we talked to commented that this year it was a little harder to get the dynamite, so there are several large pieces of pumpkin left. Normally all that one would witness is an orange mist billowing towards the sky.

Even though it was short lived, I really enjoyed it and I think that this might become an annual trip. Who says Rednecks don't know how to have fun. ( I think that I might have a little more redneck in me that I would like to admit.)

From the mouths of babes..

2006-09-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

One of the most amazing things about being a parent is having the oppourunity to watch a human mind develop. It absolutly fascinates me. Everything that my 19 month old son does, he is learning. His speech is getting much clearer and now he is hitting what I would call the parrot stage. Everything he hears he trys to repeat. For example whenever he gets dressed he runs all around the house yelling, "Cute!" and waiting for us to dote on him.

Given this situation it is really interesting to find out the words that his mother and I must use often without even realizing it. "Whoa!" (one of his favorites) "Cool", "Neat", "No!"(that one is a given) and so on. None of those are really remarkable, but it fascinates me, by how quickly he learns them and is able to use them in the correct context.

Everyday is a new surprise and I only wish that I could learn as fast and as well as he does. (Let's just hope that he won't pick up on some of the rarely used "undesireables" that are muttered every so often, espically when one plays Halo.)

Nerd, Geek or Dork???

2006-09-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

I was on Digg at lunch today and found this test. It is to tell you if you are a geek, nerd or dork. Yes apparently there is a difference. After answering the questions as honestly as possible, here are my results...

Joe Normal

43 % Nerd, 39% Geek, 34% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions

You scored less than half in all three, earning you the title of: Joe Normal.
This is not to say that you don't have some Nerd, Geek or Dork inside of you--we all do, and you can see the percentages you have right above. This is just to say that none of those qualities stand out so much as to define you. Sure, you enjoy an episode of Star Trek now and again, and yeah, you kinda enjoyed a few classes back in the day. And, once in a while, you stumble while walking down the street even though there was nothing there to cause you to trip. But, for the most part, you look and act fairly typically, and aren't much of an outcast.
In any event, fairly normal.

THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

So who would have thought, I am actually normal. All of this time I thought that I was a geek. hmmmm!!!

Halo Again!

2006-09-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Since the completion of school, I have found a few small spaces of free time here and there. I have taken this oppourtunity to play a few games of Halo with my brother-in-law and over 500,000 of my closest friends. That's right I have taken to playing Halo on Xbox live. My brother-in-law got me hooked and now I am one of the mindless rabble.

I don't play alot (by my standards anyway) and I am not particularly very good. But I do enjoy it. When the time comes to play I eagerly don the headset, and bask in the luminescent glow from the T.V. I anxiously await the start of the game, gripping the controller tightly in my sweaty palms. Then it happens, joy the game has begun, and I quickly get killed. Over and over again as my frustration grows, I am erased, sometimes I am successful in taking others with me, sometimes not. (By the way most of the time I am getting schooled by some prepubescant with a severe vulgarity problem.) Then the thought inevitably arises, am I really having fun? Why do I keep submitting myself to this? Frustrating as it is, I can't seem to give up.

This same senario also happens on the occasion when I have the chance to play a round of golf. This morning, was such a time and soon after we started, I found myself wondering, why it is that I really like this game? I am terrible, I loose lots of balls, what is the deal? The only bright side that I can figure is the fact that I am at least outdoors and enjoying the world around me.

I know that I am probably not the only one who these kinds of things happen to and I can only hope that I am drawn to these things because they are difficult. In the difficulty I find the excitement. If the games were too easy then I would be bored and have no need to continue playing. On the flipside, if the games are very difficult then I revel in every accomplishment and savor every victory. I guess deep down this is the philosopy of life, and the reason that we all get out of bed everyday and rise to meet the challenges of life. Carry on my friends...

Oh yeah for a few of you Halo geeks that might read this, here are some lyrics that a good friend of mine wrote to the popular Sound of Music tune, These are a few of my favorite things....Lyrics

Growing Pains

2006-08-31T19:51:00.000-07:00

The other day someone asked me how old I was and I can't believe that the first thought that popped into my head was 17. I am closer to a decade above that number but for some reason, it has a hard time sinking in. That set another chain of thoughts in motion and suddenly I realized that I am an adult. For lack of a better term I am now, "All grown up." I have a wife, a child, A few weeks ago I finished my B.S., I have a profession instead of a job, and I am loosing my hair much earlier than any man should.

It's not like all of these events happened in one day, it took many years for all of this to happen. In fact I know that I have had these thoughts before, at the culmination of certain events,( My son's birth was a big one) but I guess that now that all of these things have come together, it sinks in a little deeper. After contemplating all this I am not scared, I am rather excited. I love my little family and it is so exciting to be involved in raising a child. I have wonderful friends, the best of which I am married to. I stand now at the beginning of a career and a grand adventure awaits me. Life is going to happen, but I plan to enjoy it along the way. I am sure that time will go by fast as it already has, but talk to anyone on the downhill side of life and they have great memories. So here is to being a kid at heart, and in the immortal words of Captain Jack Sparrow, "bring me that horizon!".

Might as well face it, I'm addicted to crud...

2006-08-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have what I like to call an addictive personality. What I mean by this is that I am easily attracted to new things and then I go crazy with them for a short period of time. Some examples... My friend took me Rock Climbing a couple of years ago and that very day I stopped on the way home and bought myself a harness and over that summer I collected all of my own gear. That same friend took me Mountain Biking and soon I had to have all the fancy gear and attachments for my bicycle. We went boating and now all I can think of are boats, and what kind would be good to buy, etc. If I find a book that I am interested in I cannot put it down. I will stay up late, and basically ignore the world around me while I read. It's not just because I am enjoying the story but I feel a pressing need to actually just finish the book. It's weird but I can't explain it.

This last example has recently been driving my poor wife crazy, as the last few days I have been immersed in a good novel. Most of these things are harmless and either only cost money or time. It makes me wonder though what would my life had been like if I hadn't been raised in a religion that preaches abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Given the previous examples, I would be one mess of a person. I would be that guy dressed in the military fatigues with the greasy hair, missing teeth and whom you could smell a mile away, and tried to ignore as you saw me. Possibly I am exaggerating, but who knows.. I am just lucky to be me and have a wonderful little family and a good life. I just need to curb some of my enthusiasms.

If this doesn't work....I don't know what will

2006-06-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

While watching one of the more recent podcasts of Diggnation I stumbled upon this little gem of a video. Rachel Gets Fruity. To be brief this was apparently an attempt by the British to increase awareness of testicular cancer. The video shows a sultry young lady acting rather sexually but giving instructions on how to do a self exam.

I find it interesting the different ways that those in the "advertising" community find to get our attention. Apparently this is one effective way of doing it, and although a bit racey for American standards, I believe this was put to use in the UK. God save the Queen!

Digging for news...

2006-04-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

Upon my recent wanderings on the internet, I was pointed to an interesting site named Digg.com . This site if you haven't heard about it allow users to submit news stories. The stories reside for all to view and if you like a story you simply "digg it" which means click on the digg it link. The more users that digg a story, the higher up on the chain it will reside and live longer. I think that it is a nice little way to get some news or interesting stories and the price is definitely right. FREE.99 Anyway, just thought that I would throw that little tidbit your way. (Just in case anyone other than benny k reads this).

Maybe they were right??.....

2006-03-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in my living room today playing with my one year old son. I began to ponder how happy it makes me just to sit and play with him. To hear him laugh is like medicine for a tired soul. His smile is like that first drink of cool crystal clear water after days in the desert with nothing to drink and sand gritting between your teeth. The words of many parents came to mind, "You'll never know how happy children make you until you have some of your own." Being the stereotypical child, I pretened to agree without giving much thought to the situation. Now that I have experienced the joy for myself, I can proclaim with many a new saved soul, "I have seen the light." Each day that little guy makes my heart bigger when he smiles at me, or climbs up on my lap and gives me a kiss. For those of you that have kids you know what I am talking about, for those of you that don't, let's just say I love being a Dad!

It makes me wonder what else my parents were right about?

The Kindness of Strangers (Friday the 13th Part II)

2006-03-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

We had just about decided to turn around when we heard the faint buzzing of what sounded like a snowmobile. Soon enough a light appeared in the darkness and was zooming toward us. The snowmobile approached us and stopped, and there was the “father figure” from our group. Apparently he had been stuck several times in the last few hours. We loaded my wife and child onto the back of the snowmobile and off they zoomed. We were assured that a friendly group of snowmobilers that were in the area would stop and help us. What a lucky chance, we were saved, at last. We went a little further and three snowmobiles approached. They stopped and chatted with me (I was slightly ahead of the other two with the baby) and told me that they would help but that they didn’t have enough gas, so we were on our own. My hopes suddenly died again. I wasn’t worried about myself, but I felt bad for my sister-in-law and her baby. Off the three men zoomed. They stopped and talked with the others and then came back in my direction. One went down the hill to call their families and my sister-in-law was on the back of one of the two quickly approaching me. I guess somehow they had gotten more gas and had changed their minds when they saw the baby. My sister-in-law’s husband stayed behind and they offered me a ride. I was so tired I didn’t care. I got on and off we zoomed.
It was a bumpy ride but I was just glad that it would soon all be over. The lead machine stopped and the two drivers conferred with one another. They weren’t sure if this was the right path but they thought it might be. The lead driver decided he would head up the trail a bit farther and then come back and tell us if it was right. He left the woman and child and took off. The rest of us waited and made small talk until he returned. He said that it didn’t look familiar but he was sure that was the way, plus there was a man and a woman that were stuck on the trail. We all got back on and took off up the hill. The machine I was on suddenly dug itself into a hole and the back of the machine was buried in snow up to the seat back. The driver and I got off and heaved the heavy end of the machine out of the snow. He tried again and again it dug down. We did this two more times before we got the machine free. Meanwhile the other machine was long gone. The driver of the machine I was on drove it up a small hill so as not to get stuck again and guess what I had to “climb” up the hill to meet him. Not such an easy task in waist deep snow. I was so tired I could barely lift my legs, so finally I just got on all fours and crawled as best I could up the hill. I felt pathetic but I didn’t care. We got on and zoomed up the hill. After a brief ride we saw the couple that was stuck and the driver of the other snowmobile that was with us had just gotten them freed. Apparently they had been stuck here for three hours and had already dug a snow cave ready to spend the night. If felt good knowing that they could now go home, but if they had been there for three hours and didn’t see anyone then that meant we were on the wrong trail. We all turned around and went back to square one, where we had started. We got there expecting to see my brother-in-law, but he was already gone, picked up by the father or our group. Oh man, what a night. In the meantime, the third member of our rescuers had come back up the hill and he knew where we needed to go. After another long cold, bumpy ride we saw the glow of light from the windows of the yurt. Finally our ordeal was over and we could step into the warmth of the room with a roaring fire. We thanked our rescuers and assured them that they saved our lives. Off they zoomed and we stumbled into the yurt. My wife greeted me along with my brother-in-law who were all wondering where we were at. I realized that it was still quite cold in the yurt and was informed that they had problems getting the fire started and it had just only been lit. So we all huddled around the stove and told the story of our grand adventure. We were all safe, and getting warm and things were better.

Now that I think back, it doesn’t seem that bad but at the time I was very worried. Many prayers were answered that night, and I will be eternally grateful for the kindness of strangers.

Friday the 13th.. Part I

2006-01-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Normally not a superstitious fellow, I have no qualms about doing things on so called vexed days. I think that superstitions are fun ways to express emotions towards things beyond our control. This last Friday the 13^th was to be no different for me, at least so I thought when the day began.

The day started off with the possibility of being a great and adventurous day. My wife’s friend had suggested that a small group of us cross country ski to a Yurt located in Mill Hollow. She made all the proper reservations and we prepared for a couple of days of fun and exercise. At the appointed time we arrived at the trailhead where our trek was to begin. There were twelve of us total, nine adults and three children around the age of ten months old. The resident father figure who accompanied us had rented a snowmobile and the rest of us had skis. This was a great relief for me because that meant some of our supplies could be fastened to sleds and pulled behind the snowmobile. After the packs were safely stowed inside the yurt and a fire lit in the stove, the snowmobile would return down the trail to relieve the weary travelers and ferry them deeper into the wilderness.

The weather matched our spirits, which were both unusually on the bright side, as we made our final preparations. We were a little behind schedule but none of us were worried, it was too beautiful a day to weigh oneself down with unnecessary cares. The sleds were tied onto the back of the snowmobile and off he sped. Meanwhile my wife had noticed that the skis and boots she had borrowed from a relative did not match each other, and no amount of force was going to help. Reluctantly, she walked back to the car where one member of our party just happened to have an extra pair of skis that would work. When she returned some of the group had already begun the expedition and three of us anxiously waited. The skis clipped wonderfully into the bindings and off we went. The first strides went smoothly and then I noticed that something did not feel right. My skis seemed to not be sliding but rather gathering the snow. Soon I had four or five inches of snow caked on the bottom of my skis and efficient movement was impossible. I had no choice but to return to the car and retrieve the pair of skis that my wife had just moments before abandoned. Upon my return the first part of our group was nowhere to be seen. That is when we realized that between the four of us who were left, no one had looked at the map which showed the location of our destination. It couldn’t be that hard to find and assuredly the remainder of our group would wait for us eventually.

For me the next few hours were pure physical torture. I greatly underestimated my physical prowess and it showed accordingly. We were going very slowly up the long windy road, as countless snowmobilers zoomed by. It seemed to me that each machine carried a person who was laughing at my every exerted movement. Nevertheless we pressed on.

Suddenly the father figure appeared triumphantly on his noble steed. My spirits rose and I was not so tired, it wouldn’t last much longer. He halted next to us only to report that he had in fact not yet found our destination, but assured us that he was getting close. And with those words he sped off in the direction that he had come. My spirits yet again sank, and on we trudged.

The sun sunk behind the mountain, our valley became encased in shadow and the temperature began to drop. It was at this moment that I believe we began to fear. Not necessarily for us but for the two babies who were being packed on our backs like sacks of potatoes. Surely our location was not much further, and we still had a couple hours of daylight left, before we were engulfed in the blackness of night. We continued up the slopes.

The four of us chatted uncomfortably as we went, avoiding the obvious topics that were at hand. Two of our group appeared behind us; they had taken a wrong turn, and were now on the right path. I took this opportunity to ask for some directions to the yurt, which were given. Look for a guard station, a wooden sign and orange poles. The orange poles mark the path off the road for two miles to the yurt. At last we had some direction. Our friends soon disappeared as they sped off ahead of us. (It was at this point that I was eternally grateful to my group of companions for not leaving me, even though they had the speed to do so.)

Two painful hours later we arrived at the guard station and spotted a wooden sign, and the orange pole. The moon was full and bright, the air was steadily chilling, we were cold tired, and worried. The children were quiet and all seemed still. We discussed turning around and heading for the trailhead. Protect the children and ourselves, surely the others would understand. We had a decision to make and not a lot of time to make it, every minute it was growing colder and our hopes were sinking. What to do…..

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.....

2005-12-16T09:52:00.001-07:00

I love the Christmas season. For me it's so fun to try to find the perfect present for those that are special in your life, and to watch the expressions on their faces when they open it. I love the lights, the sights and the smells, Christmas is just normally a good time of year for me. This last Saturday night I began getting a sniffle and a sore throat. Sunday it became an all out nose turned into a dripping facuet, body aching full blown cold. So do I do the sensible thing and sleep all day, nope, not me because I have wonderfully procrastinated my final project which just happens to be due on Monday at noon. So all day Sunday and into the wee hours of Monday morning I slave away. I grab a few hours of sleep and return to my diligence early Monday as I call in sick to work. Anyway to make a long, agonizing story shorter, it is now Friday morning. Having worked the rest of the week and thank goodness for all kinds of drugs I made it to Friday. Now here I sit, nose faucet still in place with a deep walrus sounding cough.(At least the glass swallowing sore throat has stopped) Poor me right. Actually the point of this blog was not to complain but as I wallowed in my own misery I could not help but notice that many others around me are suffering the same fate. My son has ear infections and eye infections, my wife isn't feeling well and her whole family, is currently suffering from all different kinds of ailments. It's enough to make me say bah Humbug! This time of year is no fun. I hope that all of you have missed the creepy crawling bugs of the winter season.

Now that I have rambled and complained I must say that I am still rather enjoying the Christmas spirit. As I gaze into the twinkling lights of our humble, but elegant christmas tree, I think all is not lost. Life is what I will make of it. So to all three of you that will read this, I say to you Merry Christmas, or whatever your respective holiday greetings may be.

Feeling Special on Someone Else's Special Day

2005-10-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

The other day I had the opportunity to attend the wedding of one of my best friends. The whole shabang was amazing. I got to hang out with some of my friends and see two of the people that I most care about on their special day. The best thing about the entire day was after the wedding luncheon. The bride and groom stood up and declared that they kept the luncheon to an intimate group of people for a reason. On their happiest day, they wanted to only share it those they feel they really love and know. Then they annouced that they had a gift for us. They proceeded to hand out handwritten cards to everyone present. Written upon these cards was a personal note to each individual, explaining why he/she is a special person to the bride/groom. After reading the card, it made me feel special on their day. This to me was an amazing gesture of kindness and love. After pondering this gesture I have realized just how important it is to express to others around you exactly what role they play in your life, it may change them forever, or at least make them feel special for at least one day.

Do you ever wonder

2005-09-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder, why you waste time, when you have a million and a half things to do. Is it because anything else is better than what I am supposed to be doing? I don't really know.