Desert Trip '09 - sans Enok & Tevia

The last two weeks have been full of stress, fun, driving and frustration. On Saturday April 18 we noticed Enok was having difficulty walking on his leg. We assumed he had tweeked his ankle or something and were encouraged with our diagnosis that evening when we went out to dinner with a good friend and watched him run around in the water fountains. But Sunday morning he wasn't doing too well and Monday, though in the morning he seemed good, things got worse quickly. My only fear was that there may be an infection, since upon inspection I was determined it wasn't a break or hurt ankle as there were no signs of bruising or swelling. So Tevia took him to the doctor - and she was sent to the ER. After a day of testing they were sent home without a diagnosis and told to go back to the doctor.


This was beginning to encroach on our annual Desert Trip (though we missed last year with me being in Hong Kong). The plan was to leave on Wednesday afternoon, stay in some cool hotel in Mexican Hat and then meet everyone on Thursday morning. On Wednesday morning Tevia took Enok in and at that point she was told to bring him to the hospital where they would do more tests. It was evident that the stay would be longer than one day. As our frustration (or maybe MY frustration) mounted at the doctors being unable to diagnose the issue, the time was running out. We finally made a decision to have me take Jarek and Malik up to Moab and leave mama and Enok in Phoenix (in the hospital). This was a hard decision as it meant travelling many miles/hours without her and feeling guilty of abandoning my family in a precarious position.


We left early Thursday morning and arrived with no problems early afternoon. That afternoon we had fun playing in the willow springs and eating dinner and sitting around the campfire with family. Though most went to bed fairly early, a few of us stayed up later and had fun talking. This is always one of my favorite parts of any camping trip.


Friday we woke up to stronger wind and a wonderful dutch oven-baked biscuits and gravy from Jacob Webb and Wall. We headed off to hike in the Fiery Furnace which took up the whole morning. For me this was fun and nostalgic as so many formations and trails came to memory from visiting this place years ago. Malik became close friends with my cousin Martin's son - Luke. Luke is 6, but slightly taller than Malik and loved Star Wars. Luke was patient with Malik's 'slowness' and they had a lot of fun together. Lunch was spent in a wind tunnel which literally sapped our bread of all moisture before we could even take a bite. We had decided to eat in the wind tunnel after a typical Wall moment where there was stress about a simple decision to make: where to eat. In the end the wind tunnel won the votes. =)


In the afternoon we were able to contact Tevia who had been worried about the boys and was nervous about Enok. They had put him under to give him an MRI and he didn't do too well coming out of the sleep. I assured her the boys were fine. The wind, however, was not letting up and we moved the chili dog dinner to that night since cooking on dutch ovens seemed impossible in the wind. There wasn't much sitting around the fire that night as the wind lulled people to their tents - only to be tortured by the constant flapping and noise. Our tent, which was borrowed from Tevia's parents, had zipper issues which almost caused me to swear several times. After an hour or so of trying to sleep I finally unzipped, took off the rain tarp (the source of most of the noise) and spent the next 15 minutes trying to zip the tent up again.


The boys were angelic on the trip. No complaining, no problems going to bed. They hiked and climbed spectacularly despite their muscle conditions. I enjoyed seeing them go up to the 'cave' and showing them the antlions, etc. All the fun things I did as a kid. Saturday we went to another arch we used to visit as a kid: Eye of the Whale. This is only accessible via jeepin' roads, so we bumped our way to this fantastic landmass and set to hiking. The way we used to go as a kid seemed a little hairy to grandpa for the kids and womens to go through, so we found another, much longer way to get down to the water holes and sand dunes. But soon the wind was bringing in the rain. We were anxious to get out of the arch and off the slickrock before the rain started. Perhaps a little too anxious as Malik got scared to death when it did start to rain and I had to carry him out with his eyes closed the last 100 yards or so until we got back to the jeeps (neither of which were Jeeps). We then ate another wind-filled lunch near Balanced Rock. I called Tevia, who told me they were now going to do a bone biopsy to verify if it was an infection as the MRI indicated 'something' abnormal, though they still had no idea what. I could sense the fear and anxiety in her voice - and faced with sleeping through another night of wind AND an expected temperature in the 30s I opted to leave that afternoon.


Upon return to our camp it of course started to rain. I guess Nature realized I was leaving and thought it safe to rain. I packed up our stuff, said hurried goodbyes to people in tents and cars and set off from Moab in Sihaya (our van) back to sunny AZ. We had planned on stopping at the cool hotel on the way back, but upon arriving it was full (no room at the inn!) so I opted to drive all the way back. The boys were perfect gentlemen and I made it back no problem thanks to some 5-hour energy (a gift from the Webbs at Christmas) and a bottle of the new Dr. Pepper Cherry (which was fantastic).


I was able to be with Enok and Tevia during the bone biopsy which went much better than the first time they put him under. During this time they also gave him a PICC line. Finally on Tuesday they confirmed Enok had a staph infection in his left Tibia and on Wednesday evening let him go home. We now have to give him antibiotics through his PICC line three times a day for a couple of weeks. This time has gone by so quickly it is hard to even remember what happened. I do know I enjoyed seeing my family in Utah and hope for a better trip next year. I know that the night they finally let Enok and my wife out I felt a huge weight leave my shoulders. I am grateful for my family and hope they understand our circumstances. I'm sure they do.

The Snozberries Taste Like Snozberries!!!

The past few days I've been playing a lot of Tetris Shadow on the Wii. I hear talk that some of the shadows can't be done at 100%. Here's proof they can be.


Is the challenge back up to get them all?

Wall luck runs out

Despite the fact that Bret's presence did not bring sunshine and blue skies, we managed to have another incredible desert trip.
We were sad to not have Tevia & Enok with us this year, due to an untimeley and mysterious leg problem with Enok. I think it made the trip a lot less fun for Bret.
His boys seemed to love it; Malik made a new best friend, Luke Woodland, Martin's son. They hiked together, held hands, and found a secret cave, which they went up to themselves quite often, showed everyone, and left a pile of rocks to see if they are still stacked up when they return next year.
Jarek hiked hard and far, explored, and just seemed to be growing up too quickly. I found him deep in thought many times, and he didn't seem to want to be around the 'little' kids very often.
In attendance this year, we had: Grandpa Wall, who came down 2 days early, Martin & Sarah Woodland & their clan, Luke, Lindsay, and Lillie; Brian, Amy, & Alan Christensen & their 2 friends; Bret, Jarek, & Malik, Mom & Dad Wall, Jacob & Millie & Ellery Webb, Nicole & Alex Sevey, Jacob & Carolyn & Hazel, and I think that's it.
I missed my other 2 kids often during the trip.
The weather had promised sunshine and 80's all along, until we got to Utah and they changed their minds and a cold front with rain was due in on Saturday. This front brought strong wind gusts all of Friday, which were tiresome and made cooking a lot less pleasurable.
We still hiked, and explored, and had fun being together.
We went in to the Fiery Furnace this year. That was beautiful, a tough hike, but worth it. All went in except grandpa. We also went to Eye of the Whale. I stayed out and read my new book and did my own small hike, while the rest of our clan went in and hiked around. I hear they found some water holes and intersting bugs.
We were hot on Thursday, and went over to the creek, where some people found cool mud holes, sink holes, and little Hazel sat naked in the mud, thinking it was a spa.
Our meals did not go as expected, but none went hungry, and we had lots of food left.
The wind made it impossibe to cut up fruit or do dutch oven cooking. Well, not impossible, but harder than we wanted.
We had red sand in everything, food, clothes, hair, and eyes. This bothered the little ones more than us adults who kept sunglasses on.
Dad Wall was suffering from poison ivy, so he was on a pill that kept his blood sugar super high the whole time.
The poop tent held up pretty good until the last day, when we were off hiking and a strong wind must have come through camp. It was down, along with Jacob & Millie's shade tent, which broke.
Bret's tent wouldn't zip.
Sleeping was tough, with the wind whipping through the tents and making lots of noise.
The babies did well, considering. A few tears here and there.
Jacob packed Hazel around in a backpack, and she fell asleep horizontally.
I slept well the entire trip, thanks to benydril.
We had nice talks around the campfire, and smores and marhsmallows. We found out Alex is good at making and maintaining fires.
Millie roasted Starburst.
The skies were gorgeous, the sites simply amazing! I looked and looked for wildlife, and found only a few stray lizards and some crows and ravens. We did see a beautiful bluish bird fly up out of the brush once.
I never saw a rabbit even, and I was hoping to see a big horn sheep. Again, luck was not with us this trip.
It rained, blew, things broke, it was dirty, muddy, and cold. It snowed on the way home for us and Bret. We all left early due to the weather.
But, was it worth it? Would we do it again? Oh Yeah!

My trip to Indiana

This week I had an opportunity to go to Indiana. My company has a small office in the town of Ft. Wayne, IN. I was asked to go and provide training on our new system (part of the project I have been working on since returning from HK) to the group. When I first found out about the trip I asked them the best way to get there, etc. Surprisingly, they told me that many people just fly into Indianapolis and then drive to Ft. Wayne (about a 2 hour drive) as it is usually cheaper than flying directly into Ft. Wayne and takes less time. Upon hearing this I got excited at the thought that I could possibly fly into Indianapolis and end up being there on a night that the Indiana Pacers played (my favorite NBA team). When I looked at the dates set up for my trip, it ended up perfect that there was a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the Monday night (the day I flew in).

Attending a Pacers game at their home stadium (called Conseco Fieldhouse) has always been one of those things I'd like to do before I die. But I thought it would be years before I would have the opportunity, since I am so rarely in or near Indiana. So this was a perfect opportunity. I flew in on a direct flight from Phoenix, got my rental car and drove downtown Indianapolis. I parked (which was a little more difficult than I had anticipated) and then went to buy some tickets. I had planned on buying tickets online but in the end realized there were plenty of tickets and so I would see if I could get some better tickets for cheaper from the scalpers. Sure enough, the first guy I came across was more than willing to bargain and when I told him my price range I was able to get bottom section tickets for top section prices. After buying the tickets I went to the mall where I had parked and had some dinner and bought a new Pacers hat.

I arrived early at the game so I could take in the fieldhouse. Conseco Fieldhouse is considered by many to be one of the best NBA stadiums - if not the best. It was built a few years ago in the now popular retro-styling, meaning it feels more like the old fieldhouses of years ago. And it truly lived up to that feeling. It felt like a small town stadium with fun bands and great food. My seats were great and closer than any seats I've ever had before. I was able to see Lebron James quite clearly when he came in (which it seemed most people were there to see him than the lowly Pacers). The warmups were fun to watch as Lebron truly puts on a show by doing half-court underhand shots and self-thrown alley-oops that he throws about 60 feet up in the air.

The game was fun and the Pacers played pretty good, though they lost. I had a headache unfortunately, which put a little damper on the game as it was quite loud. The couple next to me were also quite fond of beer and reeked of cigarettes, but were nice enough as they constantly wanted to give me high 5s and tell me about the money they bet on the game.

After a fun evening in Indianapolis I drove to Ft. Wayne in pouring rain. I arrived at my hotel around midnight and went quickly to bed. I had to awake early to give the training and after 4 PM left the office to head back to Indianapolis as I got a hotel there instead of in Ft. Wayne since my flight back to Phoenix was at 6 AM (3 AM Phoenix time). The hotel I had chosen due to its price (trying to save my company money - bad idea) lived up to its low price. Upon entering the room it smelled like smoke. Then I noticed a bra on the ground. But I am not too picky. It wasn't until I tried to use the restroom and noticed the toilet was full of poo that I got worried. Then when I tried to flush it and it wouldn't flush, I got irritated. I called the front desk and was told that he was the only employee in the building and couldn't come to help until one of the shuttle drivers arrived. I expressed my frustration that I wasn't even able to use the toilet in my hotel room so what good was this room. He said he'd call me back and when he did he told me he wasn't supposed to have let me use this room as it had 'problems' and that I could come get the key to another room. So I had to repack and move to another room. That room had an alarm clock that kept 'squeaking' so that I had to unplug it in order to sleep. In the end, I only slept about two hours as it was soon time to get to the airport for my early flight. Add this to the fact that when I went to Subway to eat, they were closed (this is the second time I've tried to eat at a Subway and been denied in the past month or so) and so had to eat gas station food for dinner.

I arrived in Phoenix at around 6:30 AM and was happy to see the family again. My trip had been less than 48 hours with many hours of flying and two trips of 2 hours of driving. In the end it was worth it since I got to see the Pacers game, but I think next time I'll just fly directly into Ft. Wayne.

I must say that Indianapolis seemed like a nice place. It was smaller than I had expected and the people seemed kind and the neighborhoods (outside of downtown) seemed good.

List of misc

I Have made a list of misc things we will need, some dad & I can buy if we need to when we get there:
hand soap
old towel
paper towel
hot pad
knife
cutting board
matches
tp
pots and pans
cups, bowls, plates
plastic silverware
small wish broom for tent
dish soap and towel


we will be making hamburgers the first night, with some vegies and chips
we will be buying stuff for pbj's, trail mix, granola bars, hot chocolate, juice boxes for dad, and snacks on Wed.
Our breakfast will be eggs, bacon, and potatos. I forget what day that is, I think Saturday.
If anyone doesn't want the above items, bring something extra for yourself or your kids.
I don't know what Ellery and Hazel eat and not eat.
Don't forget flashlights and sunscreen
This is going to be great!
mom
Oh, plan for a little extra each meal in case grandpa Wall does show up.
:)
mom

Congrats to Kathy!

Oh Yeah! Way to go on this semester's grades! That was hard work and I know how many hours you put into it. Great job! Man, I have such smart kids!

Just had to share...I'll get more up later.

Desert Trip Food

Hi.

We should figure this out. 

I have not really thought about it much since we last brought it up.

I know Bret and J. Wall talked about it, but I am not sure what they came up with. 

So, knowing they talked about it, and seemed convinced they knew what was up, I stopped thinking about it.

I still like the idea of working together on meals. 

Anyhow, just wanted to get this out in the open again. 

Happy Easter

These words echo the feelings in my heart on this wonderful Easter morning.

future vacations & Happy Easter

It is really cold and rainy here in NY today. As we ate our lunch, we pondered when we could go to Alaska, where dad really wants to go. Then I flipped on the travel channel, and we saw a show on the Sequoia National park. Now I would love to go there. I have never even been to CA.
So we are thinking of doing our Alaska trip next summer, and a trip to the CA parks the next summer. It is drivable for most of you, and Tom will be back, so you are all invited. I know nothing about any of them, but my brother Mike went one time, so I will find out more.
I still haven't decided if I am going to Paraguay or not. Dad is not. I would have to tag along with Bret. We'll see. Part of me wants to go, part of me, not so much.
BTW, This is not an April Fools joke.
Missing you all on this Easter weekend, and feeling sorry for Kathy. I wish Jimmy could have been home by this weekend. Someone play a game with her online today or tomorrow.
we will be gone from 3-9 tonight at Super Saturday, and we have the Prettymans and the Slaeters coming to dinner tomorrow at 5.

new weight loss system?

Found- new weight loss system?
Warning, this blog contains disturbing images, and is intended only for mature readers. (Not for Kathy)
I have been very carefully watching what I eat for 2 weeks, no sweets, not cheating, only healthy foods, no diet coke,( gave it up for lent, that’s another whole story), and doing Wii every morning for 15 minutes, walking everyday for 45, and weights 3 times a week.
Granted, I am not working out or walking fast enough to break a sweat, but you would think with the diet and exercise, something would come off. Nada. Not one single pound. Nothing. Same as always. I feel better and stronger, but look and weigh the exact same.
The story. Worse than the fleas. Care to read on?
So yesterday I am gardening, and I clean up enough of the garden to plant my spinach seeds. I get out my trusty watering can, which I left out all winter, and I look inside and see water, so I just start to pour onto the grass outside of the garden, to see if the water is clean. It’s not. A dead mouse plops out onto the grass. At least I think it was a mouse!
It was all swollen, and stiff, of course. Egh. And boy did it stink!
No, that’s not the end.
I was just going to leave it there for dad, when I walked away for a minute and realized that Daisy was finding the dead animal very interesting. So I shoo her away, and use an old piece of newspaper from my garden to try and pick it up to discard it into the woods.
As I grab it, the skin literally starts to fall of the body, leaving a white looking breast meat underneath. Oh my lanta! I scream, but manage to hold onto it long enough discard it. It is stinking so bad I almost lose it right there.
No, not the end.
So, as I run off to the woods, Daisy decided that spot on the grass would be fun to roll in. Now why animals like to roll in other animals pee and now this, I have no idea, but now she stinks to high heaven. I yell at her, but can’t put her in the house.
I put a board over The SPOT, and go in to give her a bath. She hates baths, and managed to escape the basement while wet, and ran up and hid under Tom’s bed. So I had to run up, chase her back down, and close her in the basement till she dried.
Meantime, what am I making for dinner? Homemade chicken soup. I had already cooked the chicken, but still had to skin it to put it back into the broth.
I could hardly do it. I thought of waiting for dad to do it. It was just so disgusting; all I could think about was the mouse.
I pretended to be a pioneer, and pushed on, finishing my chore just as dad walked in. I didn’t tell him the story until after he ate.
Did I eat the soup? No way! I couldn’t even try it. My stomach would just turn thinking of eating it.
So I ate 3 pieces of whole wheat bread, a cheese stick, and an apple.
Thus, the weight loss idea: Look at something gross before you eat.
Did it work? Nope. Still weigh exactly the same. Dad did say I look thinner, but he probably said that to be nice.

Worst hand EVER

We played Rummikub tonight with Webb and Millie. It was a good game but kind of weird. I had the WORST hand EVER. Seriously, I was the last one to lay down my first tiles and by the time I was finally able to lay down, I had so many tiles, they didn't fit on my tile-holder thingie (what is that thing called?). Anyway, it was bad. Still a fun game, but a very bad hand for me. I came in last (surprise!). Maybe we ought to play Thurn and Taxis next.... :)

April already?

Time is flying. I can't believe it. Work has been busy. Here are a few fun things that have been keeping me busy.

Google Voice: Now that Grandcentral has officially changed to Google Voice I'm not sure why you all are not using this great service. It has (most) of the functionality of Grandcentral but now has voicemail transcription - which means it transcribes my voicemails and emails/texts them to me. So I don't ever have to listen to a voicemail again. I love it. It is not perfect (can't seem to get Tevia's name right), but it works.

New Blackberry: When I got back from HK I had to turn in my HK blackberry and I just decided to live without one for a while. Finally a few weeks ago I got another one and I love it. What is best about it this time around? Google Latitude - you can follow me around wherever I go thanks to the GPS feature and check online to see where I am. Tevia can know where I am at all times. The boys follow me home online. If you'd like to track me, let me know. I'll gladly let you follow me. A close second place is the Pandora for blackberry. It is awesome and now I can listen to streaming music on the bb (like I do on the compy) without downloading any songs or worrying about getting sick of my mp3 library.

NCAA Tournament: Congrats to Jarek for winning his first tournament. Didn't get to see as many games as I would have liked to - but it was still fun (until the finals, like usual). BYU disappointed again. Big East did great until the finals.

MK Fatalities: I finally figured out how to do fatalities on MK Armageddon. Always fun. Played for a bit last week. Loved it. Love playing as Jarek. Our next son will be Subzero.

200 situps: Remember 100 pushups? Now I'm doing 200 situps (along with repeating 100 pushups) and have loved it.

Africa or Fiji

Okay so now, I have a new decision to make. Africa or Fiji. Yesterday my teacher offered me a free internship to go to a small island in Fiji for a month to assist in teaching at an extremely small school that is struggling. BYU pays for everything... my tickets there and back to NY. food, accommodations, etc. Now I am thinking... hmm maybe Africa should be a trip for me and Jimmy in the future and Fiji is my destination this summer. Or should I still fulfill my ambition and go to Africa with Jill who is ready to send in her deposit. Plus I don't want to break our agreement, I would feel awful. But I guess with this new Osama tape, saying that the leader of Samalia needed to be killed, is making Jimmy pretty nervous about sending me to its neighbor. Or there is always the thought, Why not do both? I know that sounds ridiculous and insane... but is it? I am going to pray about it during this weekend for general conference but I would like all of your input. And no this is not an April Fools Joke. I really am on the brink of going to Africa and I really was offered a free internship in Fiji! Oh what to do!

my new plan for life

So - I've been thinking. I am tired of this boring life, always helping people, being good everyday, and cleaning, and cooking, and the old "I hate IBM" thing.
I think I will travel more.
I am now seriously thinking of going to Africa with Kathy.
Then, Tevia, if you don't mind, I'd like to come to Europe too. What the heck.
and Kathy says now she may go back to Hawaii in the fall, so I'll go with her to start up her new place and enjoy it more this time.
Then, I thought for Thanksgiving, dad & I should just blow some of our savings and hit somewhere really cool, but it is too cold to go to Alaska then, so we could try Aruba like Bret & Tevia had suggested.
I better buy some better luggage!

Africa!!

So a couple weeks ago, I got really down about how Jimmy was gone again, mostly because I realized that even when he comes back, we only have a few more weeks together, for the rest of the year. I always knew this, but it didn't really hit me until just recently. Well this made me do a lot of thinking and I decided that I should do something worth my time when he is gone. That is when I had this epiphany that I should go to Africa to do volunteer work and the more I thought about it, the more excited I got. So, I went online to do some research and looked at many different programs and groups that offer these different volunteer opportunities. I even called a bunch of these organizations and left emails, etc. Well, then I thought, if I really were to go, it would probably be smart to go with someone.And the first person I thought of was Jill. Jill was my best friend from Utah and my roommate (for those of you who don't know). She was one of the ones to come visit me in NY. Also, her brother has been to Africa like 5 times. Anyways, I called her up and asked her what she thought about going and she actually said, she thought it was a great idea!

Well to make this story short, we found this amazing looking organization called village volunteers and filled out the application to go this summer. Well, two days ago we got back our responses which gave us the green light. They put us into a specific program in the organization called, Mama na Dada, which means mother and daughter. It is in Kenya and sounds awesome! There is several volunteer opportunities offered for this program but we we were told that we will mostly be working in the circle of hope daycare, with kids who need help because most of their mothers died or are dying of AIDS.

Also this program, Mama na dada sounds like it has a lot better accommodations than some of the others because there is bottled water provided for us, we get our own hut to live in with mosquito nets for our beds, and there is a flush toilet. Most of the places, don't have this. So that is really nice. There is also electricity, although, the closest internet access to us, is 3 hours away! lol but I'm sure we'll manage.

Anyways, Jimmy and I discussed it yesterday and decided it was manageable and okay and then, Jill and I talked about it some more and we both decided that we definitely want to go ahead and go! So we are looking at plane tickets now for around the middle of June to the middle of July. We will be staying there for four weeks. So I AM SO EXCITED! There is still a chance that something might not work out, and I am going to start praying about it to make sure it is the right decision but so far we are in the clear! I really hope everything works out!

The program also allows you to take small trips on the weekend and they even provide a safari trip. So we will be doing that. We also are looking into going to Victoria Falls, and I am hoping to get to go to the coast of Kenya and put my toes in the Indian Ocean! So we will see! But I just wanted to share with you this exciting possible opportunity in my life!You can click here, CIRCLE OF HOPE DAYCARE to view more about Mama na Dada. There is a video with some of the kids. It makes me tear everytime because my heart goes out to these children. I want to be apart of helping these kids out so bad.

Desert Trip Food

Just talked to mom about this a bit. We should pin down a few things. 1. Are we staying over Saturday night? 2. Who all is going? 3.Who is in for food sharing?(meaning group meals together, probably dinner and/or breakfast) 4. How many camp stoves do we have?(Bret and I will probably be getting one) 5. Is anyone bringing dutch ovens? (I think Webb might have one but I don't know for sure)

Bret and I are in for food sharing. We were thinking that if everyone wants to join in, we could have two families tackle one meal together, depending on how many go and how many want to share.

Thoughts anyone?

desert trip needs

Bret is going to bring one shade tent- does anyone else coming from UT have one?

also- dad & I will need an air mattress. Bret has one with a hole he can try to patch and bring, but it would be easier if someonein UT has one. Jake, are all yours holy?
Can you patch them? Does anyone else have an extra one?

pastry shoes

Another thing that I, being old, never heard of.
I was at the big Pallisades Mall in NJ yesterday with some friends. In the center court, they were having a lot of loud rap music and people were watching a DJ do his thing for awhile, and we walked on by with little interest. We heard him saying, "now is not the time to go away and be buying purses and pastry." Now, you have to imagine, this is a black guy with a black rap accent and music playing, mentioning pastry. We looked at each other like, what is he talking about? ;)
Lots more people went over and watched some cute girls walk a little runway and do a few dances, but we were having too much fun shopping to go sit and watch.
Later, as we were coming up one of the elevators, a big body guard guy says, "out of the way, we need this elevator" and rushes us and a few more innocent bystanders aside, and they run past with this black girl, about 16ish, in these little outfit, with bright pink hi-tops.
We were like, is she famous? So I bravely ask a young girl next to us, who was she? She told me a name I didn't quite understand, so we moved on. Later, we walked past a security guard, and I asked him what the concert and commotion was all about, and he said, (now this is a white basic mall security), "I don't know, something about Pastry". So, we thought he meant this singer or actor girl was named Pastry.
So I came home and did some good googling, and she evidently was here modelling for the Pastry line of shoes. If I had heard her name, I could have looked up more.
But it was funny that we are so out of it. There is a line of Pastry shoes, so now we know what the guy was talking about.
I guess you had to be there.

Spring Break 2009 - New Mexico

This year we decided to spend our spring break on a road trip through New Mexico. On Monday Tevia and the boys picked me up after work and we went straight up to Show Low. The next morning we set off on our trip with Tevia's parents and their RV. One might not think there is a lot to see in New Mexico, but I was looking forward to the itinerary that Tevia had put together.

The first stop was one that I was looking forward - and one that we had been to before. It was the Catwalk, a small box canyon that we had visited a few years ago for the 4th of July. I loved it then and was looking forward to the fun hike up the canyon, which consists of 'catwalks' or little suspension bridges up the canyon where they used to mine. The weather proved beautiful and the hike was great. This time there were a ton of bugs - but they were tolerable for the most part. Enok loved the hike and did great. Jarek and Malik also did well and we didn't have to carry the kids as much as we did a couple of years ago. We ate lunch there, stuck our toes in the freezing water, and enjoyed the first stop on our trip.

The second stop was a location I had never heard of before. It is called City of Rocks and we got there just before the sun was setting. It was beautiful. We found a great place to camp (Tevia's parents and the boys slept in the RV while Tevia and I shared a tent) under a huge tree right up against the rocks. The location is a spectacle as it is a huge congregation of rocks in the middle of desert. I kinda reminded me of the place we camp near Moab for the desert trip, but even cooler and better for kids. The kids could go anywhere and there was no reason for worry of them falling off of cliffs or anything like that since the only way they could get high enough for danger was if they could climb the rocks - most of which they could not (the tall ones - there were plenty of small ones to climb). We ate chili dogs and watched the sunset. Later in the dark Tevia and I hiked around and found a small nook in a rock where we could rest and talk as the cool breeze floated by and we could see millions of stars. This is a place I certainly would love to return to. We woke up in the morning and hiked around a bit more. We climbed on top of big rocks and marveled at the beauty of this site. Then we packed up and headed out to our next stop.

Stop number 3 was on Wednesday at White Sands. This is a place I had heard of before and had always wanted to visit. It has been seen in many movies and is a place of white, fine, gypsum sand (more like salt) in New Mexico. As we pulled up it literally looked like we were surrounded by snow. The roads were plowed and the asphalt was covered with the white sand as white 'sandbanks' were built up on the side of the roads. Jumping out of the RV the sand was warm on top and then cool and soothing as your foot sunk into it. The white was blinding. The weather again proved to be fantastic as it wasn't too hot nor too cold. We ate lunch at the bottom of a beautiful hill/dune. Enok enjoyed going across the street and picking up little sandballs. I am convinced he thought it was snow. We had fun jumping down the large sand dunes. I went for a small hike in search of the white lizards but couldn't find any. This stop was also beautiful and I look forward to going back again at some point. After a couple of hours or so we had brush off as much of the sand as possible and get back in the RV for our next stop.


The next stop was a KOA near Carlsbad, NM. We were to go to the Carlsbad Caverns early on Thursday, so this was a logical stop for us to refresh the RV and have some nice amenities. This KOA was very nice as it had great showers, wifi, electricity, a playground, campfire pits, etc. It even had roadrunners and bunnies for me to watch. We ordered BBQ from the camp which they delivered to our site (the boys ate mac and cheese we cooked) and afterwards we bought some Mexican paletas from the store (I got coco). I then set up a fire, but most people were tired. I took the boys to get showered and showered myself. Tevia and I decided to try and watch a movie from netflix in our tent using the wifi, but it wasn't good enough for a movie. We watched a couple of episodes of Scrubs she had on her computer and then went to sleep. I didn't sleep too well either of these nights - I find it harder to sleep in tents as I get older. Plus I had allergies which make it hard for me to sleep as well (I sleep terrible if I have to breathe through my mouth). But it was still great and I enjoyed it. In the morning I started another fire and enjoyed the brisk morning.

We then set out for Carlsbad Cavern. We bundled up a bit as the cave is fairly cool (Tevia and her parents had been here before). We had decided to descend via the natural entrance which is about a mile or so hike down into the cave. The cave was MUCH bigger than I had even imagined. It is huge. I couldn't believe how big this cave was. And it kept going down and down. It took us about an hour or so to get down to the main room. At that point most of the boys were getting tired - and by this point they had seen quite a bit of cave - and there wasn't all that much more to be seen. But we did part of the hike around the main room and then headed back up via the elevators they have. I enjoyed this part of the trip quite a bit as well.

Next up was Roswell, NM. This is the spot famous for the flying saucer crash in the 1940s. I must say it was fun to go here, but it wasn't nearly as cool as I had anticipated. We went to the UFO museum and checked out a few local shops. Enok did not like all of the fake aliens everywhere. But after a while we were a little bored and decided to take off. We didn't see any real aliens or UFOs though.

That evening we stopped in Capitan, NM which is the home of Smokey the Bear. We stayed in the Smokey Bear motel and I was able to catch a little of March Madness. We ate at a cute restaurant across the street where I ordered a green chili burger (which was great). In the morning we went to the Smokey Bear museum, which was fun, though small.

It was now our last day of our trip. We made a lunch stop in Socorro and then headed for our last anticipated stop in Pie Town, NM. The one pie place we had planned on going was closed (due to Winter hours it closed at 2 PM) so we went to the other pie place called Pie O Neer cafe. It was almost closing time for them, so we were limited in our pie selection. Jarek thoroughly enjoyed his cherry pie with ice cream and deemed it one of his favorite stops. Malik cried when he realized they did not have 'Pot Pies' which he likes - as he let us know he does not like sweet pies. Tevia and I shared an apple/blackberry pie which was fine. I'm not a big pie fan. A couple of hours later we were back in Show Low and enjoyed our obligatory dinner from La Casita.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. I thank Tevia's dad for driving the whole time. I hate driving, so the many hours on the road were much more palatable when you can draw, play DS, read or even sleep on the bed above the cabin of the RV. My favorite stops were by far the City of Rocks and White Sands. I wish I could take everyone there one day. But it is pretty far away. I can't wait for the desert trip!

BYU is hopeless

That's all I have to say.

go soccer

Oh Yeah, 227 pts on a sunny Monday morning!

top place in America to visit

I guess you can all guess what the #1 place to visit is in America; can you guess #2? Temple Square ranks #16. That's not bad.

Some pics

Here are some recent pics of us and Hazel.


And here are a couple from Andy's wedding.



Enjoy!

update on Wii progress

Thanks for the soccer challenge. I improve every single day, and I am now up to 122! It is fun to see the progress made. I will never get close to you guys, but I am kicking my own butt!

more desert trip

If Andrew and Kim come, or Nicole and Alex, and they want to share in our meals, we could have them bring the paper products and snack type stuff. Amanda and Jared may come too.
Dad will call Daniel Woodland this week about any advantages going somewhere else may have, otherwise, I think most of us want to go to the usual place.

desert trip things to bring list

Some of these things we share, some dad & I can't bring on a plane, some Jacob Wall has, etc.

tent
ground cloth
sleeping bags
coleman stove
propane
air mattress
coolers
pillows
latrine, poop tent
chairs
table
water jug
cutting board
utensils
pots, pans
fire stuff
We can bring our own tent and sleeping bags. We will need a cooler, which we can maybe get from Bonnie, an air mattress, and we obviously can't bring a table or chairs.
We will also need some pillows.
If we have to, we can buy an air mattress when we get there.

desert trip food

Hi all, as we get closer, we can start to think about how to handle the food situation. Last time we all went, we split the meals up, so one family cooked one meal for everyone, making it easier to buy the food, kind of.
To review: those who went in on Wed night had stew & rolls. Tevia did Chili and hot dogs Thursday night, Friday night we did burgers, and Bret & Tevia did Mountain House meals.
I think we did all our own lunches, and I did a big breakfast on Friday or Saturday.
Anyways, we will wait and see who is all going, but at this point, it is for sure us, J & Cari, Webbs, B & Tevia. That is 2 + basically 2 + basically 2 + 5 = 11. (2 babies, Enok eats more than a baby nowadays).
I assume we are all going in on Thursday for dinner? That would make 2 dinners, 2 lunches, and 2 breakfasts. We have 4 families, so, we can each pick a breakfast or a dinner, and leave lunches up to each family. Or we can all do separate food.
What do you all think?

Which is worse?

Ever since the Rhianna/Chris Brown incident, I started wondering about which things are cause for automatic breakups in relationships. And in my thinking I would guess that things have changed dramatically over the years. It would be my guess (and in reading people's reaction to the Rhianna situation) that most people today would say that if a man hits a woman, that is/can be automatic grounds for divorce or breakup. In having this conversation with a few women I know, I would say that this is especially true from the woman's point of view.

However, when it comes to other 'errors' of judgment on the man's part, I realized that this probably isn't the case with something like adultery. From a popular/celebrity point of view, it certainly would seem that adultery is considered as something to work through. Few people would say it is good (though it seems more and more consider it 'normal'), but I don't think most people would say it is automatic grounds for divorce. Outside of the public eye, it has been my experience that this seems to also be the case. If a man has an affair, most of the times it seems the couple try to reconcile (which may or may not succeed).

In thinking about these two scenarios, I began to scratch my head as to why we would be more accepting of one than the other. Let me state that I in no way condone either of these actions - and believe both of them to be egregious and serious sins. But I would say that if we turned the clock back 50 years (or even thousands of years) I would guess that adultery would be considered much more serious than a man hitting his woman/spouse. Certainly we have progressed in the treatment of women (at least in this country - and yes, I know some may debate this statement) and this would seem to lead to us being less tolerant of abuse of women. At the same time have we regressed in our treatment of adultery? Or perhaps we have become more forgiving (certainly seems like the Christian thing to do) with adultery, but have become less tolerant of physical contact. Maybe it is a combination of both.

Either way, from my point of view, it would seem that if my husband (let's have imaginations here, I am not hinting anything here) lost his control in an argument and happened to hit me one time and had never done this before, I would think I would be more forgiving than if I found out he had an affair. Maybe that is because I am a man and can not imagine the impact being hit would have upon me. But from a man's point of view, I would think having lost control of my hand in a moment of passion isn't nearly as bad as losing control of something much more passionate and private. I am looking at this from the point of view that a man does it once and is truly penitent. Repeat offenders of either of these sins lose all respect in my eyes. From a more 'church' point of view, I'd be curious to see which of these actions would require more repentance (disciplinary actions). I'm sure it would vary, but one of these is a direct breaking of a sacred covenant that many people make with God (thou shalt not commit adultery). Does that make it more serious?

In the end, perhaps it has more to do with what the physical contact was. I believe there is a big difference between a punch and a slap (as does the law). And certainly there is a difference if the action is repeated as opposed to just one blow. But in speaking to a few women I know, even that doesn't seem to matter in terms of the consequence of leaving the man. Just one slap would seem to merit instant divorce. Just one affair may or may not.

Ironic is the fact that somebody like Rhianna appears to have forgiven Mr. Brown and returned to work things out. Even with all of the negative feedback of friends, family, and press. And according to a few articles that have popped up online this tends to be the case for women that are hit repeatedly. Maybe the true fear is that if they hit me once, they WILL hit me again. And even though all of the women I have spoken with have agreed they would leave their man instantly, I must say I've never heard of a situation where a woman left because she was hit. This may be more due to the fact that somebody probably wouldn't want to publicize it though. But maybe in reality men still can/do get away with abusing their women more than having an affair. Maybe that is why many women are so unforgiving of a 'theoretical' scenario - because they know of women who have gone through this and they will not let it happen to them.

Either way I think the woman has the right to her decision. Men should be held accountable for their actions. For me I just found it interesting that it seemed women are much more forgiving of men who make a poor decision and commit adultery than of men who make a poor decision and hit them. I would have guessed the other way around - at least for first time offenders.

New Suburban and its name is ?

Here is a quick video of our new sweet ride!

Problem is we don't have a name.

As this car will be in our family for a while, we figured you might be able to help us with some suggestions.

Power Snow or ChiBi Robo?

I first got Malik a pretend hamster in a ball, which he loved, and even took to bed and to school, and named Power Snow. I think I should have stopped there. Power Snow didn't bite.

In like a lion...

I'm not sure the old 'in like a lion, out like a lamb' applies to Phoenix, but it has been very warm the last few days. I'm not complaining, I like it warm. I even jumped in the pool on Saturday, which I would guess was in the refreshing upper 60s. Jarek and Enok also thought it would be fun to join the pool party, but everyone else stayed away.

My mother was able to visit us this last week. It was Malik's and Tevia's birthday and we had some fun activities. For Malik he got a new pet: a robo hamster. He named it Chibi and she is quite cute, though seems to bite a lot. Maybe she is still nervous (as many websites say they are nervous the first few days). For Tevia's birthday we went to a hotel in Scottsdale after a great meal at a Cuban restaurant. It was fun being alone with her as we were nerds and watched Battlestar Galactica at the hotel. It reminded me of our first night after our wedding (which was also a hotel in Scottsdale) where we cuddled up and watched the X-Files. We are kinda sci-fi nerds. We also went shopping to get some shoes and I was amazed at how many stores in the mall were closed. I don't get to a mall that often these days, but it was basically empty on a Friday night and it seemed that at least 15% of the stores were closed. The economy truly seems to be taking a toll. It looked like the South Hills Mall in Poughkeepsie.
Sunday we were lucky enough to hear Jarek bare his testimony at church. We also got to hear Malik give a talk in primary. They are such good boys and I am so lucky to be their father. They make my job seem so easy. I just sit and watch and try to follow their good examples.

I think the hardest thing about getting older is how quickly time goes by. I sometimes wish I could make time stop and enjoy more of the present. Enok has a habit of gesturing you to sit next to him on the couch and then puts your arm around him and wants you to hold him close to you. It is such a cute little action. It makes me feel loved and I wish at those moments I could sit next to him like that forever.

Jacob & Cari's new place

Ok, so when can we see a pic of your new place? Does it look a lot like the other Jacob's?

Desert Trip 2009

I know there has been some discussion (emails and whatnot) about this year's desert trip. Millie, Ellery and I would really like to make it to this one! We even have some new camping gear we bought last year (for the Havasupi trip) that we never got to use. Plus we went to Zion's Nat. Park a couple of weeks ago with Millie's parents (my first time, they've all been before) but now we REALLY want to go back... or at least do some camping just somewhere!

Here's the thing:

I'm considering participating in UVU's commencement for graduation, which will be held on May 1, 2009. That's a Friday. From what Jacob (Wall) has told me, the desert trip will probably be that same week/weekend. If the desert trip will be during the commencement, I will probably just do the trip and fore go "walking" until I finish my master's degree. If, however, the trip will be around that time, everyone who wants to can be here for the commencement!

What are your thoughts?

Pushups Update

OK, so I just finished my 4th week on the 100 pushups program. Last night I had to take a test to see where I am. I was able to do 50 pushups in a row. I'd say that I was surprised. My results after the 4th week were actually very good - in the highest level. This surprised me a little as I can't imagine being able to do double that many in just 2 weeks, but this week I see the program goes from 5 sets each day to 8 or 9. Wow! I must say I am already impressed with the results and look forward to finishing out the program. It has been fun. I'll let you know how it ends up.

Wii competition

Well, I finally remembered to try a few balance games this morning during my yoga routine.
One success and one failure to report:
I crossed the tightrope! First time ever! I usually fall at the jump.
But, I only got 27 points on the soccer thing. I still move my head instead of my feet, and keep getting pounded by sneakers. I only tried once and was so embarrassed, but I will try again some day.
I have to say, I have never seen a line be as steady as mine as far as weight goes...
I cannot seem to get it lower, and luckily, it is not going higher. It is straight as an arrow.

Wii competition

to spank or not to spank

So- the story goes that someone in our ward took their 2 yr old daughter into the bathroom this past Sunday during sacrament and spanked her for acting up. Someone else was in the bathroom, and told this young mother that that was illegal, and that she could get reported and arrested for that. The young mother took her things and her daughter and left church, quite upset. The person who said the remark, (and I don't know who it is), called and apologized, but ruined that young mother's entire day. She spent hours looking it up on line to see if she could be reported and to see what was legal.
Jacob, are you going to spank adorable little Hazel? I can't picture that at all in my mind. :)
I know for sure Monica Woodin spanks her little trouble makers, and so does their grandma!
I wouldn't spank any of your kids as grandma, but I don't think it is illegal.
I guess it depends on the kind of spanking.

What's been on my mind?

First, I love a new song. It is "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. I haven't liked a song like this in a while (I think of "The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars). The lyrics are simple, but the emotion comes through. No bad words and sort of a love song. Take a listen at some point. Right now I have it on my playlist on favtape.com, which is the newest music streaming site I am trying out. Every time I find a good streaming site (think Finetune and Deezer) they eventually get too popular and then sued by somebody or other and then suck. I'm trying Favtape and a few others. Streaming songs for me is just much better since I'm still usually too cheap to buy the songs and if I do buy them I tend to get sick of them fairly quickly.

For Christmas I bought Tevia the Neutrogena Wave, which is kinda like a toned-down sandpaper machine for your face. It lightly vibrates with a soft pad that gets changed from time to time. Of course, I have taken the liberty to try it out and I can say that I absolutely love it. It works wonders on my face. I can only use it on the top of my face (read "the places with no hair) like my forehead and cheeks, and it leaves my skin incredibly soft and smooth. Not sure if it works on everyone, but I have found my face to be smoother, clearer, and glowing. I love it.

Last week they officially disconnected our cable. But no fear as we have our new antenna that brings in great quality HDTV and some new channels that we've never seen before (Qubo?). We haven't started watching a new show for a few years. I tried to watch Heroes and Fringe when they started, but wasn't drawn in after the initial show. Last week we decided to give Dollhouse a try. It is Joss Whedon's newest show (he did Buffy and Firefly/Serenity). Though I never really watched Buffy, I did enjoy the movie Serenity (Jacob hates this movie - it scares him). I enjoyed the show and look forward to the next. Maybe it will be our next fix as BSG ends its run this year. Speaking of BSG (which now we can't see on TV so have to watch online), this season has been awesome. More twists and turns and deep religious philosophy. This last week was great as one cylon, when confronted with the notion that he is evil, put it squarely back on his creator(s). "If I am evil, it is only because you created me to be so." His creator replies that no, he wasn't created to be evil, but rather to choose to be either good or evil - for only that can give you the fullness of your creation. Deep stuff. Great stuff.

Happy Valentines Day

Well I got Cari the Twilight Soundtrack today, and she got me my favorite painting by Carl Bloch. That was supposed to go in the new house, oh well. Anyway, our new condo(moving next week) dosen't allow for our computers to be next to our TV. This is a problem for us since we use the compy to play BluRays. Answer, we decided to upgrade out theater equipment a little. Most of it is still in the mail coming later next week but we got some of the speakers from Circuit City since they are 50% off out there. The new samsung stand-alone blu ray player can stream movies directly from Netflix and that makes me happy. I'll post specs next week but here is a little tase of my new sub, center, and floor standing speakers.

finding more hidden treasures

I am finally done painting Tom & Jacob's closet, and dad finally put the shelves back in, (they were too heavy for me). We didn't put the handmade makeshift shelf on the bottom, so that I can put totes in there.
So, I am having a fun morning reboxing things, and going through more of the boys stuff.
Which leads me to a new project. I love projects!
I found 4 Walkmans. And tapes from both Jacob and Bret's mission.
I will see which one works best, and send one to Tom for his August birthday. So if you want to make a tape for him, he will have a device to listen to it on.
I will bring some of Bret's tapes to listen to while I am in AZ. So cute!
Such great memories are in that room. Lots of bullet shells, golf balls, a taped-up black index card box which holds who knows what secrets, 4 broken watches, lots of wires and controller type things, coins, lego, scout stuff etc.
It is fun for me to see the pieces of my boys life.
Jacob, I will bring that special Book of Mormon to you when we come out in April.
You all have brought me so much joy, and still do!
Sorry Kathy, there is nothing of yours in that room! :) You have a whole room full of treasures and I love just going in there and seeing all the photos.
Bret- should I bring a cub scout shirt for Malik? It was used by all 3 of you guys.

Valentine dinner and a movie

After a delicious candle light salmon dinner, complete with chocolate covered strawberries, we went over to the cheap theater and dad treated me to the $2.00 version of Twilight. Dad fell asleep. Seriously.
Now, I had read the book, and wasn't all that thrilled with it; which people have told me shows my age, as they feel I can't seem to remember what first love feels like.
Oh, I remember it alright, watching Mark walk down the street in his leather coat, peering through the window, watching to see if he glances at my house.
I didn't think the movie did a good job of capturing that sense, that feeling, that emotion.
And, again, maybe I am just old, but the actor playing Edward did not make me swoon. I had a hard time figuring out why she would like him at all.
So, my original conclusion still stands, "who would be dumb enough to fall in love with a vampire?"
But- we had a fun date, and it was worth seeing for a few bucks. It was entertaining, and dad liked the fact that vampires play baseball.

Wii Fit, Healthy Competition!

I posted this on mine and Millie's blog too, but I know some of you don't check that one, and I wanted feedback from everyone using Wii fit.

One of the best things about being a part of three very competitive families (Webbs, Ropers and Walls) is that there is always incentive to do and be better (or the best) – regardless the subject.

Just after the marathon Millie and I bought Wii fit (so did the Ropers). The Walls have had it for some time and they really showed us a thing or two when we were staying with them that week of the marathon, and it set up a benchmark of what to shoot for – speaking strictly of the balance games. Sure Wii fit (aerobics, strength training and yoga) is really about personal development and betterment - competition against one's self only; but let’s be honest, the balance games are only there for fun, or in our families’ cases, competition!

Now that Millie and I will no longer be registered on the Roper’s Wii fit (to make room for Brandon and Katie – a major flaw in the fit, only eight can be registered at a time, lame-o!!!) I wanted to make sure my competition base stays broad and keeps pushing my limits! Thanks to Rob and Annie, and even Abbie in some games, I have been forced to shoot for perfection to remain on top! Thanks guys!

I don’t want to lose that edge, or competition, so I’ve decided to post where I stand on a few of my better performances (pictures are posted above their label):


Soccer Heading - Beginner setting


Soccer Heading - Advanced setting


Down hill ski - Advanced setting


Down hill ski - Beginner setting.


Ski jump


Table Tilt - Beginner setting


Tight Rope Walk - Advanced setting


Tight Rope Walk - Beginner setting


Balance Bubble - Advanced setting


Balance Bubble - Beginner setting


Snow Boarding - Beginner setting


Lotus Focus


Super Hula Hoop


The Ultimate Body Challenge

So... How do YOU stack up? :)

Beautiful Sunday

On this beautiful Sunday morning, where the rain is slowly falling and I listen to some songs written by an old friend from years ago, I can't help but be grateful for the life I have. Listening to this music reminds me of when I was young and my friend was in the hospital getting reconstructive heart surgery. I remember praying for him and hoping for him. And the Lord blessed him with many years on this earth - and hopefully many more.

It seems it has been a week of reflection as I have also had on my mind the death of my cousin Laura. She left behind a small family of two young boys - and I think that has been the hardest for me to think about. Having young boys myself, it is hard to imagine them go through life and miss out on the wonderful mother who gave birth the them and loved them more than any other person in this world. My memories of Laura are full of laughter and joy. She always seemed happy. I'm sure she is content to be where she is now, but I am sure she will also miss being at her husband and children's side as they pass through this life. I pray for her family. I am comforted by the thought that I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we truly can live together with out loved ones again in the next life. Can there be any greater gift?

More Ender

So I am correct in seeing the parallel between the book that the Speaker for the Dead writes, and the Book of Mormon, which comes forth from the dead to the living? Valentine says stuff like, it changes peoples lives, it can't be proved, but it feels right, and she believes it is true. Interesting.

Ender Food for Thought

This is more for those who read Ender in Exile, and I wish Tom could get in on this conversation.
The bugger things communicated by thought. When this scientist guy was in this cave in last night's chapter, he tried communicating with thought to that larva bug that turns into a gold beetle thing. and it seemed to work...

I used to try to send thoughts out to people, yes, I know I am weird, and more strangely, one of the people I experimented with this concept with was the Elder who baptized me. We had fun with it until his mission president told him to stop playing with those kind of scary matters.

Then there are those people who say they can read minds, and I have heard our church tell us that their power comes from the dark side.
But- in the scriptures, even the leader of the dark side himself is supposedly not able to do this.
Well, we know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can hear our silent prayers and thoughts. We CAN hear the Holy Ghost's nonverbal whisperings. Is this a gift we will get later, or a power we will have in the next life? Can it be tapped into now?
That is why I love these books, O S card throws in these deep concepts that I love to ponder.

Like the time concept in that book also. Awesome!

100 Pushups - Super Bowl

So, in my effort to get back into the shape I was in prior to hurting my knee and entering the holiday season, I have started doing Wii Fit again, playing basketball again (knee is about 95%) and decided to start something else to keep me motivated. I found something called 100 pushups - and it is a program (schedule) that you follow for 6 weeks and by that time you should be able to do 100 pushups. It is pretty fun and hopefully it works. Basically you do a routine 3 days a week for the 6 weeks. I started this week and boy am I sore. I actually got to skip a week since during the 'test' I did better than most (thanks to Wii Fit) and got to skip the routine for the first week. So in 5 weeks I'll let you know if it worked. After that I plan on following their 200 situps routine, which is basically the same type of thing.

The Superbowl is this Sunday and it should be really fun. It is amazing - and fun - to have the Arizona Cardinals in the game. Who would have ever imagined. I haven't been this excited since the Rams made it to their two Superbowls a few years ago. Coincidentally, both of those years Kurt Warner was their quarterback. So we're going to see if Kurt can get another ring with his second team. Tevia's mom is having a big party at her house and I look forward to eating all the finger food. We will be up in Show Low this weekend for Jhade's blessing - and since the Superbowl is on and we wanted to stay for the party, I took Monday off so we can just drive back to Phoenix on Monday. It should be fun. Go Cards.

algebra question

I had the opportunity today to proctor a Regents algebra test at John Jay high school today. I am not allowed to read during administrating these tests, as they are 'very serious', and we have to be on the constant alert so the students can't cheat.
(These are NY statewide exams, all given at the same time all over the state at each school.)

Because of a long story, I luckily ended up with a class of only 5 students, who had other tests to take right after, so were allowed to leave when finished, (which is not usually the case). So, when I was whittled down to 2 students left, I took the opportunity to glance down at the test questions every once and awhile to see if I could do them. ( I had 3 completed tests in front of me, and on most answers, all 3 were different. :) )

I was happy to say I could do most, but I came up with one I was stumped on. I tried to ask dad when I got home tonight, but he is too involved in IBM's own math and engineering troubles to even hear mine. He plans on working all evening. (PS- a fellow IBMer named Peppy who was top level and used to work a lot with dad was layed off yesterday. Dad said he was one of the smartest guys he knew.)

so: if anyone can help me with this problem, I would love it.

There are 64 volleyball teams, and 1/2 of them get eliminated after each round.
let t = how many teams are left, and r = rounds.
find the equation. these are the 4 answers in the multiple choice question:

a- 64(r) to the .05power ( I don't know how to type that)

b- 64(-0.5) to the r ( r is the exponent)

c- 64(1.5) to the r "

d- 64(0.5) to the r "

I am going to go figure it out by just substituting in figures, but I was not sure how to do that without guessing.

Wedding Pics

View Album

Get your own

Sorry I haven't put up these before. Here is a little taste of the pics that the photographer took.

Mrs. Not Lonely

So as you all know I have been alone for the past 2 weeks and still have a week to go because Jimmy is on another island for training. And even though I am used to Jimmy being gone, it is completely different to be married and alone than it is to be just dating! Especially when you don't have any kids or even some sort of pet! Its such a crazy feeling. I was very tempted to go out a buy a puppy several times lol. But aside from my "wanting to buy a puppy moments" (more so just to have someone to play with) I did a lot better than I thought I would which is a good thing considering this is just the calm before the storm as he leaves again in March for a month to be in California and then deploys to Afghan in May. But I honestly have been extremely happy. Not because he's gone lol but I think it's because I have invited the savior into my life so much more. Before Jimmy left, he was able to give me a blessing and he blessed that I would not feel alone and I can honestly say that I don't feel alone at all. I know that my Heavenly Father is looking out for me and I know that he is often here because like I said before, since I need him, I invite him to come in more than I have in the past. I am never scared which is odd and I am always happy. I am so grateful for this and I know that even though I am married for this next deployment that I am ready to take on this challenge and that the Lord needs me to do things just like he needs Jimmy to support our country.

I feel guilty for not always needing the Lord like I do now and hope that even when Jimmy comes back that won't change. Anyways, I am also so happy because of school! Lol which is ironic because this is by far the hardest semester that I have ever had. Since I am a junior now and in my education program I am taking all of my hardcore EDU classes and they are a handful! There is so much more to teaching than I realized and I have never learned more in my life. It is so exciting to be able to be learning things that I will actually need to be a teacher and I can not wait until that day comes! I was so close to quitting school a while ago and I am SO glad that I didn't. It is keeping me extremely busy too which is also helping me to keep my mind off how my husband is off practicing how to go to war. It's been nice to have such an awesome family to help me get through this too. Thanks for the calls and emails.

Well one more week left! oh and Jake and Cari, because my husband will be gone for the majority of the year, I am keeping Daisy. The only way I will yield is if you trade me Hazel for Daisy. So let me know lol

Hazel Pics

Here are some more recent pictures of Hazel. As soon as I get the camcorder editing software figured out, I'll try to get some videos up also. Enjoy!

Mr. President

I know most of the people that read this blog did not vote for Obama (including myself). And I know most people reading this blog don't particularly like Obama, but I thought I would comment on the inauguration. At my workplace they allowed employees to stream the event on their computers (though I just went to the break room to watch on TV). As I watched the speech and looked at those around me, I must say I was amazed at the emotion and hope that I could see. Never in all of my life can I remember a new president being such a big deal. Certainly I never saw tears before like I did this week. And listening to his speech, I could once again see how he connects with so many of my (and the younger) generation.

If his words are to be trusted, and I am one to give him the benefit of the doubt, then he truly cares about how we are seen on a global scale. He truly wants us to be seen as the leaders and hegemon. He wants people to work harder and stop being so selfish and childish. I could see - and feel - how his words resonate with so many. There is no way any of the last few presidents could deliver such a speech in such a way. And I think this is what gives him such charisma. Yes, certainly his underdog story and the fact that he is the first non-white president make him a huge phenomenon, but I think it is the fact that people actually respect him and (perhaps ironically) don't see him as a politician that make him such a power. I think many of you might say that this is what makes him so dangerous. But I say let's see what fruits are borne by his presidency.

Can he truly reach across the aisle and embrace the republicans? Will he really try to or be able to change our culture to return to the great culture of selflessness and ingenuity that brought our country to where it is? When I watched the people watching him I could see the hope in their eyes. I could feel it inside myself. I sincerely hope that Obama can bring about the change our country needs in order to return to its roots of tolerance, creativity and hard work. In the end, if Obama himself can not do it I think this election has spurred more people to think more about the people we put into office and perhaps stir more involvement and less apathy.

As someone who has become disgusted by the acts and rhetoric of most politicians I hope for a brighter day when we can truly elect people who aren't greedy or immoral or closed-minded. Let's elect people who can truly think for themselves and shun greed and immorality. I'm tired of seeing elected officials who have secret affairs with young girls or scary men in bathrooms. I know it isn't easy. Fame and power bring great temptation. But that is not to say that we should tolerate such behavior. There are great men and women out there who can avoid the temptation and focus on what is important. We must find them - or become them.

Tom's bed

Okay, so, one of my goals this month is to paint the inside of Tom and Jake's closet, as it is still yellow since when we first moved in here. The walls have been 2 colors since then. Then I am rearranging the shelves, and deciding what to do with the shelves that are burned and marred with chemicals. (Thanks, Jacob)
So I have been slowly taking everything out of the closet so as not to hurt my back and knees. (lots of bending and lifting) Finally, yesterday, dad agreed to help me take all the clothes out, and shelves. It is empty. It is also all on Tom's bed, or around it. Did that bother Daisy? Oh no, see for yourself. She seemed to think it made it all the more cozy...

2009 - A great start

2009 has been pretty good so far. I think by focusing on some goals, having some great weather, and starting fresh has been nice. I feel happier and looking forward to a great year. What has changed? First, I discovered that you can get mp3s from lds.org for the Book of Mormon in Portuguese. This has been a great discovery which has been good for some spiritual uplifting while on the way to work in my mp3 player - while at the same time keeping up on that beautiful language of Brazil. Second, by making a career goal for the year (instead of flopping all over the place last year) I am more focused and am more content. Our new system that I have worked on launched this week. And though it has had a few issues (what new system implementation does not?), it has been fun being a go-to guy and meeting new people and trying to fix problems. I am pretty good at fixing problems and love to work with people, so it has been a good change (usually I'm in front of a computer testing or configuring) which brings me home in a better mood and makes me feel like I have contributed more. Those two things alone have had a large impact. Add to it that my knee is now finally healed (cross my fingers) and I am playing basketball again, and life seems to be looking pretty rosey in 2009.

We have many great trips planned this year, and I can't wait to see family and friends throughout the year. The warmer weather has also buoyed my spirits quite a bit - as well as working on our budget, which honestly has been pretty fun so far. I hope things continue on this path as we continue. In reality, 1/24th of the year has already passed, so we are well on our way.

Miracle on the Hudson

A few things:
Dad and I were watching it live, as he had gotten home early after taking the car in for an oil change. It was scary to think about being in those frigid waters. It did seem like a miracle after watching it transpire and to learn that only a few people were in the water, and that it had such an incredible ending. I am sure that most of those people on that plane thought they were done on this earth. Some have even said that they thought that.

A funny thing- Fox news was joking this morning that not only will a movie be made, and it will probably even be titled the Miracle on the Hudson, but that Tom Cruise would play the pilot. ( I guess you'd have to hear it live to get the joke. Everyone is saying that that Valkerie movie would have been so much better without a movie star like Cruise playing an old German guy.)

I was relieved to see it end so well. It was a wonderful thing to see happen in NY!

Lessons learned from BYU 2008

Though I didn't attend BYU in 2008, I felt more attached to the school than I have for a long time. This is most likely due to the fact that the football team had such high expectations - both at BYU and in the media. Before the season started there were numerous people saying they could go undefeated and be in a BCS bowl. They had a great chance of doing it and it was exciting. Coach Mendenhall even came up with a new theme to the season: The Quest for Perfection.

Each year Coach Mendenhall has come up with slogans for his team. The prior year it was Band of Brothers. With this year's slogan he immediately received negative feedback from the media - and fans. Perfection? Surely he wasn't cocky enough to have a goal of a perfect season (even though most people DID expect them to go undefeated). Opposition said the goal was too lofty. It was unatainable. It was too much pressure on the team. Mendenhall was quick to point out (cover up?) that the Quest was not just referring to football. Indeed, the BYU coach has a list of priorities for his team, of which football falls 5th. But he was still mocked and challenged.

When BYU finally did lose to TCU, the comments came pouring in. There goes the Quest! And when they lost to Utah a few weeks later (who ironically went on to go undefeated and take BYU's expected spot as a BCS team) the mockery continued. Even true blue fans began to doubt Mendenhall's goal and slogan. Truly, it appeared his team had become too cocky - they felt entitled. They thought it would just fall into place and therefore did not work as hard as in years past. Even I thought how foolish. The coach (and team) set themselves up for failure. They set themselves up for disappointment.

But as I contemplated this over the last couple of weeks (and as I continually wished things had turned out so different) I realized that this was a great life lesson - for the team and for me. Like BYU's football team, we as believing members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a lofty goal. We are told to be perfect. Indeed, it is the same quest that the BYU team had. And like the team, many people outside of the church mock its members at this goal. Even members themselves think, 'how can we possibly be perfect?" But it is still our quest. It is our goal. Indeed, to return to live with God requires it to happen - at some point. And to make a goal of 'attaining the terrestrial kingdom' seems quite silly. So even though BYU did not reach their goal, should that not be their goal every year? To win every game? And should not our goal be to become like God? Will we reach our goal? Perhaps not this year, perhaps not the year to come, but indeed it IS possible (only through the atonement of Jesus Christ!).

So if our goal is to return to live with God, can we truly have any other goal? I am a big supporter of President Hinckley's philosophy of getting better each year. So yes, we can have smaller goals. This year I will do THIS better. But each small goal is an eventual path to the ultimate goal.

So even though I feel for the BYU team and feel bad that they did not reach their goal, I now believe it was not a bad goal. It was an attainable and realistic goal. And they had the ability to do it. So why set a smaller goal? And we as humans have that same potential and ability, so why sell ourselves short? Thank goodness our goal in this life, at least for most of us, is longer than one football season. But I am glad Coach Mendenhall gave such a lofty goal to his team. Next year he may not have such a high goal (and to be honest, with the team he will have and schedule it might not be attainable), but this year they had the talent and ability. They fell short, like many of us will. Perhaps they fell due to their pride (as many of US will). But we can learn from it. We must expect more out of ourselves and then NOT slit our wrists when we fail to attain those goals. We must continue to work hard - and congratulate those we love (and hate) around us for achieving that which we could not.

Thank goodness getting into heaven isn't based on a BCS system, though!

x-files

full of blood, torture, pediphiles, hard to understand for a non-x file watcher, not worth my 2 hours, and now I have awful visions in my head. dad may have a different viewpoint. Kathy, I wouldn't watch it if I were you. I suppose my comments will make Bret and Jacob want to watch it more.....
:)

Ender in Exile

I just finished this book - and for some reason it had a real effect on me. I loved it. Ender's Game (and the sequel Speaker for the Dead) are two of my favorite books. Mr. Card wrote several other sequels (and in fact a whole other sequel series focused on Bean) that were good, but this book seemed to bring back the feeling I felt when I first read those first two books.

Here are a few reasons I loved this book.

1 - Ender's mother teaches a valuable lesson to Valentine (her daughter) when Valentine wants to travel with Ender and help him. After asking for advice, Valentine's mother tells her it is not her place as a sister to 'teach' Ender anything - or try to get him to do what is best for Ender. That is a parent's job. And only parent's can do it. I never had thought of it like that before. Indeed, that is a parent's job. And it is a very hard job. And none of us can replace parents.

2 - Ender reaches out to his parents after years of not 'talking' and finally gives in and tells them he loves them, though he doesn't understand the way they had treated him (by their lack of communication and apparently putting all of their energies in their oldest son, Peter). In the end of his letter he realizes that he really just wants two things from his parents. He wants his mother to say she has watched him in his life and "kept all these sayings in her heart" (a quote from the New Testament about Mary and her watching over Jesus). And from his father he just wants to hear "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Of course, this is another biblical quote. And isn't this what we all want? So simple. Ender is also quick to point out that he is not likening himself to Christ!

3 - In a letter from Ender, he discusses his brother (Peter) whom Ender had seen as a terrible brother in his early life. Peter eventually became the leader of the world (Hegemon) and was seen as a great person. Ender realized that Peter had learned an important part of human nature. When you pretend something for a long time, you eventually become that person. So in Peter's case, he had pretended to be nice and lovable and in the end truly was. The same is true in reverse, if we pretend to be someone we are not, we eventually become that someone we truly aren't. It is a deep concept and reminds me of Alma's discourse on faith: how we must test what we want to know.

It was a great book to finish the year off (and the beginning of 2009) with. Back to the library it goes. I'll do another post later on how this helped me make some changes in my life (or at least have the desire to). Resolutions...

Proud, Proud

As I sat in testimony meeting this morning, I was filled with the righteous kind of joy that you kids bring me. We knew at the start of 2008 that is was going to be a busy year. It brought us a new granddaughter, Jacob graduated, Kathy got married, and Tom went on a mission. All 4 of you now, and your spouses, have gone through the temple. None of you are starving, asking us for money, or having a hard time. All of you have turned out to be kind, thoughtful, virtuous people.
Thank you all for keeping the commandments, and staying on the path that brings you, your families, and your parents joy.
Not that I had much to do with all of your wonderful spirits, but, my work is done, and I could leave tomorrow and feel very fulfilled. Being a mother was my most important role in life, and I loved it. I loved baking cookies, rocking you, walking you, watching you sleep, buying you gifts, playing with you, shopping with you; I even loved cleaning the house. It went by so quickly, and I am sure it was harder than it sounds now.
Jacob said to me the other day that I was on permanent vacation. It sure feels like it. I am so lucky!
My goals this year are about the same as every year, and they keep me quite busy: genealogy, sew more, see my grandkids, exercise more, more temple work, write my life story, etc. I will try to work 2 days a week, to help save for fun vacations.
I feel guilty just ever telling people how awesome my life is. Even now, I feel like I am bragging. Sorry if I sound so. I just think you kids should know that I love my life!