Tentative update on Nicole and I love my job

I talked to Nicole for just a minute this morning, but everything seems to be clear with her back problems. The doctor did not think the lump was anything serious and it is defiantly not her bar out of place which means no surgery! She's headed back to Utah on Wednesday to await the results of her blood tests to make sure that she's clear of any strange infections, etc. I'm just happy that she's coming back at all, but especially because her coming back probably means that the doctors think she's good to go. So thank you all for prayers and thoughts of her, looks like we managed to pray her out of anything serious for now. :-)
Also, my company rocks. I went into the bosses today to discuss with them how I was going to pull off taking off Friday and most of Thursday by working 30 hours in the next three days. After I informed them the reason though, they told me to not worry about working extra and just to take Thursday and Friday off and they'd work out a bereavement policy so I don't even have to use any of my vacation days. I'm just so grateful for this job and the people that I work with and for and that they are so understanding that life happens. I'm happy to be seeing everyone this weekend, sad circumstances aside. Hope everyone is well and just so you know, Kathy, I have been praying for Bunny. :-)

Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), Mexico - July 2006

Surprise! For the second time this year we headed for the border and crossed it. This time we went down to Puerto Peñasco which is more commonly known as Rocky Point. It is about a 4-5 hour drive from Phoenix and is situated in the Baja Gulf. We drove down with Tevia's parents, her brother Brandt, her aunt Tammy, uncle Jimmy, and some of their kids (Aubrey, Amanda, Donny, Hannah).

We headed down Tuesday morning with a quick stop in Gila Bend for some quick McDonald's and another stop in Ajo, AZ to get some Mexican car insurance. The border crossing down was uneventful and they seemed more than happy to receive some American cash in their country. It was Jarek and Malik's first time in Mexico (which confused them a little since a few weeks ago we went to New Mexico) and the first thing Jarek noted was that it was a little dirtier than he expected.

We were able to get a house that is owned by Tevia's uncle's good friend. It was a four bedroom house a few miles from Rocky Point (so we really weren't in Rocky Point). It was part of a resort that is being built and was located about a mile from the beach. It was very windy and the roads were covered by drifting sand. It looked almost like winter except instead of snow drifts they were sand drifts. Upon arrival we were hungry for some Mexican food, but after about an hour of driving without any luck (I was following) we headed back for sandwiches. I would say this was sort of a hint of what was to come, but we enjoyed the trip. A few of us then headed up to the beach and were met by big waves. The waves were powerful at high tide and it was a workout just to stand out in them. They were too big to really body surf without eating sand. But I enjoyed them. The kids avoided them as they would quickly be scooped off of their feet. The beach was nice and fairly empty as this part of the town is just starting to be built and the hotels aren't finished yet. Another year or two and they will probably be packed with people.

Wednesday morning I woke up early and walked by myself to beach. It was then low tide and there were a few small tide pools. I explored these and found hundreds of hermit crabs to play with and some other fun little things. At low tide the waves were much less powerful and smaller. I returned for breakfast and then we set out to the town. We parked and visited a few shops for a few minutes and then for some reason we packed up and looked for some other phantom shops that led us on a voyage through most of town and we ended up on the strip joint hungry and hot. Tevia finallly suggested we take the kids back to the house/beach and the adults could continue shopping, etc. So we fed the kids and set off to the beach where we were notified we could not "park" there. We could only park at our house. In my best Spanish I tried to relay that we lived nearly a mile away and with a car full of kids and a pregnant wife, that didn't seem like a reasonable expectation. But I was just a guest here so we went back to the house and swam in the community pool. When the rest of the crew returned we loaded back up in a different car and parked in front of someone's home, which apparently is satisfactory.

Originally we were going to do a boat ride during sunset that evening, but decided to do it on Thursday. Most people were in bed by 9 except Tevia and I and Jim and Tammy. We talked for hours and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thursday morning Tevia and the boys accompanied me to the beach early in the morning to see the tide pools. They were not impressed, but it was fun nonetheless. We returned for breakfast and then decided to hit the beach earlier in the day to take advantage of the low tide. It was a lot of fun as I body surfed and Tevia and the boys were continually being pushed back by the incoming tide. We brought a kite but were disappointed when we found it was missing a part. The metal rod I found to replace the part was much too heavy to fix the problem.

After lunch we went back into town and went to an aquarium, which was really an old schoolhouse with vats of water in it. It was awesome though. They also had two sea lions that you could feed and touch (which Malik loved!) and some giant sea turtles you could feed and touch. You could also reach into the vats and tease or touch the fish. I was able to touch some of the moray eels and teased a dog fish that seemed to hate me (and everyone else). He tried to bite me and after a few minutes of teasing splashed me pretty good. I loved it. Watching Malik bark at the sea lions and have them come right up to him face to face (through holes in the "fence") was a lot of fun. We also did a little shopping and I told the boys they could each pick something out. Jarek picked a red and white necklace from some cute little Mexican girl. Malik picked a bobble-head dog - crazy kid.

We then found a place to eat which was outdoors for some pollo asado (BBQ'd chicken). Served fresh with hot tortillas and beans and rice, the meal was spectacular. Unfortunately this was our only real Mexican meal as we had brought food to eat. But I could have eaten here every night. As we left they started some carnitas (my favorite) and they also had a seafood place next door. I would go back just for that meal again. It was a lot of fun eating and sipping on my strawberry fanta and watching my family enjoy Mexico.

That evening we set out on a sunset cruise. The boat was big enough so that none of us got sick (though one woman did). It was still fairly windy and choppy so we did not get to see the dolphins that normally follow the ship when the waves are calm. But it was fun. Malik won the attention of many as he danced to the reggaeton and Mexican music. Jarek ate his weight in free nachos. Tevia enjoyed the soothing sensation of being on water and the little baby was calm. This was our last night there as we had to leave early in the morning as Tevia's dad had promised a couple from Connecticut to help guide them back to Phoenix. We left early Friday and had a stop in Gila Bend for some Mexican food as we celebrated Tevia's mom's birthday. We made it back to Phoenix safely with a van covered in sand and salt.

The trip was wonderful but if we go back I would do a few things different. I would eat out more! That is the true beautfy of Mexico - it's food! I would also spend more time on the beach and less time in town. Face it, I'm a beach bum. I'd also stay longer the last day. But it was great and Tevia looks more Mexican than ever as she is super dark. So that was an added plus! :-)

bunny is missing

okay so i have lost the most important thing to me. i have lost my bunny. im sure all of you know who this is. jacob webb and carri you might not but it is a stuffed animal that i have had since i was 4 and i have slept with her every night since i got her and she has been my comfort item for every sickness, sadness, and heartbreak in my life. I do not know where she is. it has been extremely hard for me. all of you might think this is some sort of joke. IT IS NOT AT ALL!! now obviously you can not look for her because she is not out west... at least i hope she is not but i was wondering if maybe in your prayers you could ask that i might have an idea where she is. It would mean so much to me. I remember seeing her in my car last and now shes not there. I am really upset because i really dont want to go out to college with out her. Im 18 and i still need my bunny, yes its true. k well hopefully she comes up and if you decide to, thanks for your help.

new family tradition

I have been thinking about this for a while. I thought maybe one Sunday a month, we could all go on line together, including the little ones, and have an extended family home evening. short, sweet, maybe even a song or prayer, short scripture, and little discussion about it type of thing. we can put both computers on and have Jacob and Cari and Jacob on one of ours, and the Bret household on the other. would that work for any of you? is it doable and is it something any of you may want? I am thinking fast sunday, pm E time. 1/2 hour tops. Kathy could be at Jacobs when she is there. or, she may have a computer in her room. input requested. and Bret, now that you have DSL, can you put the camera back on? please? I miss seeing my grandkids.

no es suficiente

I started crying in RS today, during a wonderful lesson on being in the world but not of the world. and the thoughts started coming to me again as they did when both my other children left the home nest; Did I tell them enough?, did I teach them everything they need to know? How many more things can I cram into them before they leave? I had counted on my calendar during sacrament meeting that Kathy has only 3 more sundays here in this ward. and then I knew the answer, from Toni Sikora as she hugged me tight; "you did all you can do, let her go", and I cried more. I know all she hears from me now is the voice of the teacher on Snoopy and Peanuts, "blah blah blah....." I will miss here dearly. it is harder to let her go than the boys. I don't want her to marry the first guy she meets, I want her to wait longer, and then I remember it is her life and I can not change what she will do. Will she be a teacher, go on a mission, or marry too quickly? who knows. I hope I have done enough to guide her through. motherhood is a heavy burden. we are not taught how, we make so many mistakes, we love too much and give in so easily. and we are so hard on ourselves. we get little praise, (except from Bret, thank goodness), and our teenagers think we do everything wrong. and maybe we do. I did my best on her. Jacob, you're up to bat. keep her safe as you can from those marry hungry returned missionaries. I am glad I did not have to send her to the Babylon part of the world. at least she'll be in a bubble for awhile. hee hee

Just 5 more minutes mom!

So, this has never happened to me before, and honestly, I didn't think it was possible... yet, here I sit. I'm in the Atlanta, GA airport... why?... well... I feel asleep on the floor at my gate and slept through the boarding calls to catch my connecting flight. I woke up just in time to see my plane take off. First thought... aw crap. Second thought... gotta get on the next plane to Olando. Only thought since... HA!! I have to admit, I'm actually glad I can laugh about this... and why not? I just hope this isn't a foreshadowing of things yet to come for this trip! :)

You're Fired

It has been an interesting week. Tuesday at around 10 AM I receive an email for a mandatory meeting for all directors in international at noon. Ten minutes later I get an email for a mandatory meeting for the international department at 1:00 PM. Rumors fly.

In our meeting at noon I am informed that my boss and my boss' boss have been "let go" and I now report to a guy named Jimmie Gonzalez who has recently come in from New Jersey to take over the international department. He has no international experience or relocation experience. In the meantime my boss was notified while she was on vacation in Connecticut.

So in less than 15 minutes I find out I have a new boss, my boss was fired while on vacation, and her boss (the man who hired me) was fired as well. His boss - who is the president of the division - is still there, but we no longer report into her. My new boss is a senior VP who reports into a different part of the company. Then I am told that my boss' admin now reports to me.

Needless to say it was a shocking day. It will be an interesting next few weeks. Good news: I'm still employed!

kudos to tom

sorry Kathy, I have to brag a little about tom. 3 - 5's on his 4 AP tests! wow! 2 on his history, but he never did open the book. he blames the 2 on his teacher. Mr. Phillips retired last year, and the new guy doesn't know how to teach to the test yet.... whatever. Kathy, you are still prettier, and we are glad you took an AP class both years. we are proud of all of our kids!

Toilet Tales

About 5 or 6 days ago Mom decided to toss a hair pick into my favorite toilet and then flush it. Now she will no doubt correct that statement by modifying the timing just a bit and clarifying that the flushing and the tossing were simultaneous motions, still it has little baring on the story as it now exists in history.

She closed the lid and placed a large bottle of bathroom cleaner on the thrown to mark the spot. She even left a rather spooky note on the mirror, in lipstick I am guessing, that still reads "pic in toilet". Finally she related her sad tale to me when I returned home from a very hard day at work.

As it turns out, I have been most pre-occupied of late with various other concerns and I have not been able to address the toilet issue. Besides I also wanted to consult with Jacob about my various options. So the cleaner and the note remained in place and became a common feature in our upstairs master washing room.

Upon consultation with Jacob he recommended the "toilet tissue test". In this test a large wad of tissue is admitted to the thrown and flushed. If it goes down then the pick has likely passed the toilet itself, if on the other hand it backs up, then you know where the pick is and you can go after it with confidence.

Well it is Saturday and at last I have some time to consider fixing this inconvenience. So I go into the bathroom and find the cleaner (still appropriately occupying its relegated spot on the thrown) and the sign on the mirror still quietly belaying its appropriate message. I remove the cleaner, open the lid, and peek in only to discover that some unknown person has already secretly administered the "augmented toilet tissue test". I think they could have at least left an additional message on the mirror! You can work out the appropriate lyrics yourselves.

Needless to say, we failed the "augmented toilet tissue test". This was good news (in a perverted sense) because now the whereabouts of the hair pick is well known. After some shuffling things around the job is done, the pick is retrieved (yes and discarded), and the thrown is back in business. However, the secret administrator of the "augmented toilet tissue test" remains at large.

Our Trip to New Mexico (July 4)

The weekend of July 4th we had a very enjoyable trip to New Mexico. We left Sunday from Tevia's parents' home and drove about 3 hours to Glenwood, New Mexico. Tevia had found some "cabins" on the internet and they ended up being really cute. We had two cabins amongst us. Along with our family was Tevia's parents, Brandt, Quentin and his wife, Tevia's aunt and uncle and a few of their kids (Jim and Tammy).

We had planned for some hotdogs and chicken but when we arrived there was a local gathering across the street. Tevia's family went over and decided we should eat with them. So we brought our food over there and headed over. What we didn't understand was that all of the food was on sale for donations for the fireworks show. So in essence we ended up having to pay for our own food. This didn't sit well with Tevia and I, so we decided to go back and just cook up some free hot dogs. After a few minutes everyone else returned, too. It was funny.

That night they put on a fireworks show right across the road from our cabins. It was fun.

The next morning we set out for the Catwalk park which is a hike up a small canyon that has a creek in it. The creek floods up to 20 feet or so when it rains, so the trail follows some "catwalks" that are built into the side of the canyons. It was cool. We took our boys. Jarek did really well. He hiked all the way in (over a mile plus) and even Malik did pretty well. I was proud of them. The water was freezing, but refreshing. Having been to Havasupai the week before, it was neat going to another hike and enjoy the beauty of the southwest. The tourist brochure mentioned this canyon used to be a hideout of Butch Cassidy back in the day. Who knew Paul Newman ever visited New Mexico?

After the Catwalks we went to a ghost town called Mogollan. It really isn't a ghost town as 15 people live there, but it was a cool town. Before the town right off the road (the road is about 10 miles of single lane pavement with cliffs on one side - Tevia was very nervous) was a "trail" that we turned onto. I was a little nervous to drive our new van on this trail, but it was worth it. At the end was a mine. It was called the Last Chance mine. Mogollan was a mining town back when it wasn't ghost. That day was well over 100 degrees. But if you stood in front of the opening there was a perpetual breeze of around 60 degrees or even less. It was cold enough we had to wear hoodies. In fact, after entering the "cave" our boys were freezing and didn't want to go in. It was awesome. Afterwards we went into the town. It was so quiet and tranquil. I loved it. I actually could live there for a few months. My favorite part was all of the hummingbirds. There were dozens and there feeders everywhere. I would just sit on a bench and watch the many kinds come within a few feet and see how beautiful they were. I loved it.

That was our trip. It was short, but fun. I'm sorry we missed the Jakes and Cari. Maybe next year.

ramen recipe

Tom made this for me on saturday, and we really liked it. he spiced it up some, but here is the basic recipe:
1 lb boneless sirloin steak, cut up, ( or chicken)
2 cups water
a package ramen noodels, (beef or chicken) (tom used 2 packages)
a bag of frozen vegies, any kind or mix
soy sauce
ligthtly spray pan and cook beef or chicken. he used beef, 3-5 minutes.
remove meat from pan. add water to pan, heat to boiling, stir in noodles and vegies
heat to boiling, stirring occasionally unitl vegies are tender crisp. add contents of seasoning packet from ramen noodles, meat, and soy sauce, (or a stir fry sauce), cook a few more minutes. very good. he added some other spices that made it a bit hotter. yum.

vacation 2006

Hi. I figured I would post a new post rather than replying to the old post since I don't know how often people recheck the posts for posts. If that makes any sense.

Okay, San Diego sounds like a good plan. I love San Diego and it is a place with plenty of things for people to do with diverse interests. The only thing I would say is that I would request it not be on the 4th of July. I feel like it will be much busier at that time of year, and more expensive (hotels, flights etc...) If we could do it later in July, or the very end of June (depending on when Tommy gets out of school) that would be better. I don't know if you have his school calendar yet. We could shoot for a first week in August thing, later than that would be into when my kids start school and I don't want to miss their first days since Malik will be starting kindergarten next year.

My other suggestion would be to do it in the fall, since CA is nice then too. The only thing that might be a problem is school for everyone. I wouldn't mind taking my kids out (or if we did October they have a week for fall break). It would be very nice weather and less expensive than a summer trip.

So, those are my suggestions and requests. We will try and be flexible if everyone else is stuck to a more strict schedule. Sorry if I sound curt, but I just talked to my family and we are trying to plan something with them, which is quite annoying since nobody can make a decision without it coming right down to the day before. Arrrggghhhhh!!!!!

Anyhow, I am not sure what Jake and Cari's schedule is like and having to plan things with her family too. I think Kathy will be pretty open, unless of course she decides to get married!!! LOL

Well, that is all I have to say.... For now! :)

Mexico Pix

This was in the old Spanish ruins on the hill over looking the city.



This is San Blas as seen from the Spanish fort (ruins).



In San Blas.



Sippin on a coconut in Playa Los Cocos. This is basically where I sat for two days straight.



This is the sunset view from our room in our last hotel in Puerto Vallarta... it is also my current wallpaper on my laptop. :)

Mexico, the summary (blog # 300!!!!)

I don't want to end up posting a blog as long as Bret's to report about my Mexico trip. I could sum it up by saying it was just right. It was just what I needed. But for those of you who would like me to expound on just why it was so nice, here you go:


Wednesday: We flew out from UT at 6am. Arrived in Puerto Vallarta at about 2pm. Hopped on a bus to San Blas at 3pm. Arrived in San Blas at about 6:30... from this point on, time has no meaning. Neither of us (Tyson or myself) carried a watch or alarm clock or had any means of checking the time. We ate when we felt hungry, and slept when we got tired. That night we walked the town and happened across the LDS church house where they were having a ward "Noche de Hogar" (FHE). We joined them. It was pretty good. The missionaries put it on; they spoke about the importance of family and membership in the church.

Thursday: We went to the Spanish fort overlooking the city. A tour guide there told the history of San Blas and about the "Loca de San Blas". She was a lady (back in 1984) who went crazy waiting on the dock for her fiancé to return from fishing, but he was killed in a storm. The Spanish music group Mana wrote a song about her (as have many other artists including the tour guide there). Today the crazy lady lives in Tijuana. It was cool to hear about San Blas and he even sang a couple of songs. After we got our fill of the fort we hopped on a boat and took the jungle tour called "La Tovara". It's a boat tour (small boat) through mangrove trees that weave through the jungle. At the end is wildlife preserves with crocodiles and turtles everywhere and then they take you to the source of the river which is a fresh water spring where you can swim. It was really cool! They even had a rope swing set up to swing into the water. We spent the rest of the day on the beach.

Friday: Went to go see the Muelle (dock) which was made famous by the song by Mana. Then we shopped for a couple of souvenirs, mostly just Tyson, I didn't really by anything the entire trip except food. Then we spent the rest of the day sleeping and playing on the beach.

Saturday: We woke up and headed south. We asked which bus to take, but since we didn't know (or care) where it was we ended up, the locals just told us it really didn't matter which bus we took... touché! Well, we knew we wanted to go south so we got on a bus that was headed south. It went south for a while then started to go east (away from the ocean). We knew there was a town somewhere further south that we had passed on the way in, but wasn't sure how much further... we definitely didn't want to go east, so we decided to get off... in the middle of nowhere. We started to walk south, and we walked and walked and walked... with our backpacks on. I was fine, but Tyson is, well... in less than good shape. We probably only walked about 5 or 6 miles, but we came a "town" of about 10 houses and two hotels right one the beach. We got room in the cheaper of the hotels and decided to cool off in the ocean. After a light swim, we ate. The rest of that day and all of the next we just sat and watched the waves come in and go out and we talked of life. It was really just perfect... but that is a whole blog of its own.

Monday: we got up and went to Puerto Vallarta. We didn't know where we were going to stay, but we just wanted to find someplace cheap... and we did just that. We walked about 2 or 3 miles through town looking for a place until we found one within the price we wanted to pay. It was SUCH a dive! k, not really, but the bathroom was DISGUSTING!!!! Yes Tevs, even worse than our mom and dads upstairs bathroom. ew.
Anyway, we stayed there that night then first thing in the morning (must have been about 5am) we got up and went to a hotel we passed and liked closer to downtown. It was $80 a night (which was more than we had paid for hotels for the entire trip up to that point) but figured since it was out last night, it'd be worth it, plus we'd be getting a good full two days out of it too! We spent our time in Puerto looking through shops, eating food, and watching street shows... and not to mention, sleeping!!!

Wednesday: We woke up at 11:30 just in time to shower and check out. Took the bus to the airport and flew home. We had the emergency exit row on our flight to San Francisco, it was the best flight I've ever had. I slept (comfortably) the entire flight. We got home (after a 3.5 hour layover in San Fran) at about midnight. Went to bed.

The trip was perfect. I got back feeling I didn't need a vacation from my vacation, I guess you can't ask for more than that eh?

I recommend going. Don't sped too much time in Puerto, it's just a tourist city. We flew United and they were great!! Helpful, courteous, and very accommodating the entire flight to and from.

So, although this was just the skeleton outline of the trip itself, I want to reiterate it was really a great trip!

Havasupai Fall 2006?

OK, for all interested in a Havasupai trip, now is the time to plan. I was thinking the weekend of either Sept 2 (advantage is Monday is a holiday for those of us who work/school) or the week prior or after. The week after for me gets a little scary as Tevia may have the baby, but she is adamant she will not be early.

My plan would be to do the following, depending on weekend (i.e. days change if we go Labor Day weekend to include Monday).

Stay 3 nights (i.e. if we hike down Wed night/Thurs morn we sleep there Thurs, Fri, Sat and hike out Sun morning. You will need at least 2 nights, but 3 is recommended.

Drive from PHX/UT and meet in either Flagstaff or at top of trail to begin early hike around 4 AM. The trail is about 2 hours from Flag. Not sure if driving in from UT if Flag is out of way or on the way. Have to look at map.

If we can come up with a date, that would be great. Then we can make reservations. I was thinking of a guys trip, but understand if girls want to go (i.e. Cari, Kathy? (might be in UT) and would be accomodating. I was thinking of Jake Webb and Wall, pops, Tommy?, Papa Webb, Quentin (said he probably couldn't go), and maybe a friend or two (i.e. Kipp). I would guess cost would be close to $100 for camping fees, etc. It is a 5 hour drive from PHX. Once we get people confirmed, we will make reservations and then I will give advice on what to bring, etc.

vacation 2006

Hi all, I was wondering if we still all wanted to try to go to San Diego next year together. we can rent a house on the beach, and there are things for everyone, the pacific ocean, which neither me nor Kathy or Tom have seen, a temple, legoland, seaworld, and whatever else is there. I was also wondering if we should pick the week of 4th of July. it works for us. I am already excited to see 2 new places next year. san diego, and dad and I already decided for our trip away to go to Quebec and see the Wongs and the temple there. cool. and, if Jarek is getting baptized, I will be there.