2017 was a great year for me. So many blessings and experiences. Through the end of the year I was able to travel to China for work (again) but this time found time to go to Hong Kong. It was great to see our old apartment and a few old friends there. Tevia got to go to India. We took Jarek on a wonderful trip to the UK (London and Dover) and France (Paris). Jarek recently was set apart as a missionary and we were able to go to the temple with him last month. Malik continues to spend most of his time on his music and does training with a professor at ASU. Enok continues to attend the GLC (Gifted Learning Center) and do well in school. He started tennis and basketball in 2017 which was so fun. He also learned how to snowboard, which he loved.
To close out the year I thought I'd share my two favorite quotes from media this year.
1. The most important step a man can take is the NEXT step - Dalinar Kholin from the book Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. I love this idea that the first step is not the most important step, but rather your next step. We can all change at any point in our lives. It is that change in direction (heart) that makes us who we are.
2. The best teacher, failure is - Yoda, from the movie The Last Jedi. Another great quote to show that failure is part of life and is a great way for us to learn. We shouldn't be afraid to fail, nor ashamed when we do.
Tuesday, January 02, 2018
Monday, January 01, 2018
2017 was a great year for the Wall's
Say good buy to 2017 but not before wishing it a fond fair well. I don't think there has ever been a fuller year in the lives of the Wall's. Mom and Dad renovate Gables, sell it, buy Rimrock and rent it, then rent Dear Valley and go on a mission to Ohio. God was in the details there and we are so grateful as we have spent quality time with Karen's good mother in the last years of her life. Plus we are learning so many things on our mission. Bret and Tevia, where does one start? Their year has been family focused and what a job they have done. So many adventures so many accomplishments. Jarek has been all over the planet but more importantly he completed his eagle scout, received an insane score on his ACT, has full honors at BYU, and is now being set apart to serve a full time mission. As the oldest Grandchild, mom and I could not be more proud and pleased. We wanted him to set a good example for the new generation as Bret did for the old, but now we are worried that the bar was set so high that all the others may just give up in despair. Congratulations Jarek. (Tevia went to India, are you kidding me?) Jacob and Carey, have a new beautiful home, Alex and Nicole as permanent Visitors, multiple trips to Disneyland and Hawaii and other places always benefiting others by bringing them along to share and enjoy. And the first to ever catch a blue marlin and that awesome black sword thing! Jimmy and Kathy also have a new beautiful home that will serve their family in the years to come. But better yet they brought us Zavior. Our miracle from God. The ripples from this miracle will flow out to all the members of our family for eons of time to come. We are so grateful for this blessing. Finally Tommy and Holly. Or should I say Dr. Wall. Tom finished school.....finally! Landed a spectacular job with Sandia National Labs, and also obtained a beautiful new home to serve his family's needs. Congratulations to Holly's special gift next spring. I think the 6 hour drive to NM is going to become a very familiar one. Thanks to Holly also for living in Provo for soooooooooo long to make it all possible. We love you Holly and Tom. We are grateful to God for your 2017. I know there are many more items but I am out of time. Mom and I just wanted to say that we love all of you and are very grateful for each of you and who you are and what you have become and are becoming. We don't tell any one in Ohio about any of you because we would be so embarrassed by your greatness. People here in Tiffin Ohio would simply not believe it. God has given our family so many many blessings and opportunities. We pray that you will all draw near to Him in your lives and seek to bring about His plans and purposes. We always pray for your best benefit. May God continue to bless you all. We love you.
Monday, September 18, 2017
Summer 2017
Can time go by too quickly? Yes it can. It is almost autumn and so much has happened in our family.
Jarek graduated high school. He finished in the top 1%, which meant he was able to speak at his graduation ceremony. He had planned a fun "meme"-filled speech, which eventually got denied a day or two prior. He then had to come up with another talk. He did great. He then got accepted into BYU on a full scholarship, which was amazing. He also finished his 3 AP tests this year with a score of 5 on each. That means for all the AP tests he did, he got a 5 on each one in high school. What a smart kid (or good test-taker). He is currently working on getting in his mission papers and has deferred attending BYU for now. He finally got his drivers license, too. It has been difficult for me to imagine life without Jarek here. Therefore I don't think about it much. But all too soon he will be out of the house. Amazing.
To celebrate his scholarship we offered him a trip to anywhere in the world. He eventually chose London and Paris. Tevia and I went with him on the trip. It was amazing. We had such a great time seeing these old, global cities. Jarek did great even though he had to walk a lot. He wanted to see a castle so we went to Dover Castle one day, which was amazing. In Paris we spent one day in Versailles and the last day we went to Disneyland Paris. The weather was fantastic and it was so enjoyable for me to share such an experience with him as he prepares for adulthood. He is a man now. So hard to believe. I remember the day he was born so vividly. In New York; so many years ago. Having him out of the house will definitely be the biggest change in our lives in the next few months. He will do wonderful. I have no worries for him besides the normal parental worries about stupid things. He is a strong, spiritual and kind man.
For the Lake Powell trip this year I was only able to attend the last two days due to work. The two days were great. I love that place and love to see my brothers and sister and their families.
We did a camping trip at in Sedona (Oak Creek canyon) which ended up having quite a few people come. The weather was great, though we weren't able to do fires this year. We went to slide rock the one day and had so much fun. Jacob and Kathy and their families were able to come, along with Brandt and his wife and Cari's sister and her family (who just moved to Arizona).
Malik started taking composition classes with a professor down at ASU. He absolutely loves it. It is a long drive for Tevia but we are happy to help Malik develop his musical passion of composing songs.
Enok this summer started taking tennis lessons as well as playing in a basketball league. He loves them both and is doing well. It has been fun seeing him progress as he eventually was able to score a couple of times in his basketball league.
For work I've traveled quite a bit. I had a trip to China and Singapore early summer and was able to connect with a couple of old friends in Singapore. Work has been steady and good. I am ready for something new, but I love the people I work with and have had a lot of success.
My parents ended up going on a mission. They are serving in the Cleveland, Ohio mission in a town called Tiffin. I was able to visit them one weekend on a business trip I had to the area. It was great to see them and they are doing great. I am happy they chose to go.
As the summer winds down and cooler temperatures descend upon us, we get ready for the eventual departure of Jarek and our fun trips in the fall and winter. I continue to be blessed with a wonderful family who I love. They boys' hearts are doing well. We strive to be better people. Tevia is as beautiful as the day I met her.
Jarek graduated high school. He finished in the top 1%, which meant he was able to speak at his graduation ceremony. He had planned a fun "meme"-filled speech, which eventually got denied a day or two prior. He then had to come up with another talk. He did great. He then got accepted into BYU on a full scholarship, which was amazing. He also finished his 3 AP tests this year with a score of 5 on each. That means for all the AP tests he did, he got a 5 on each one in high school. What a smart kid (or good test-taker). He is currently working on getting in his mission papers and has deferred attending BYU for now. He finally got his drivers license, too. It has been difficult for me to imagine life without Jarek here. Therefore I don't think about it much. But all too soon he will be out of the house. Amazing.
To celebrate his scholarship we offered him a trip to anywhere in the world. He eventually chose London and Paris. Tevia and I went with him on the trip. It was amazing. We had such a great time seeing these old, global cities. Jarek did great even though he had to walk a lot. He wanted to see a castle so we went to Dover Castle one day, which was amazing. In Paris we spent one day in Versailles and the last day we went to Disneyland Paris. The weather was fantastic and it was so enjoyable for me to share such an experience with him as he prepares for adulthood. He is a man now. So hard to believe. I remember the day he was born so vividly. In New York; so many years ago. Having him out of the house will definitely be the biggest change in our lives in the next few months. He will do wonderful. I have no worries for him besides the normal parental worries about stupid things. He is a strong, spiritual and kind man.
For the Lake Powell trip this year I was only able to attend the last two days due to work. The two days were great. I love that place and love to see my brothers and sister and their families.
We did a camping trip at in Sedona (Oak Creek canyon) which ended up having quite a few people come. The weather was great, though we weren't able to do fires this year. We went to slide rock the one day and had so much fun. Jacob and Kathy and their families were able to come, along with Brandt and his wife and Cari's sister and her family (who just moved to Arizona).
Malik started taking composition classes with a professor down at ASU. He absolutely loves it. It is a long drive for Tevia but we are happy to help Malik develop his musical passion of composing songs.
Enok this summer started taking tennis lessons as well as playing in a basketball league. He loves them both and is doing well. It has been fun seeing him progress as he eventually was able to score a couple of times in his basketball league.
For work I've traveled quite a bit. I had a trip to China and Singapore early summer and was able to connect with a couple of old friends in Singapore. Work has been steady and good. I am ready for something new, but I love the people I work with and have had a lot of success.
My parents ended up going on a mission. They are serving in the Cleveland, Ohio mission in a town called Tiffin. I was able to visit them one weekend on a business trip I had to the area. It was great to see them and they are doing great. I am happy they chose to go.
As the summer winds down and cooler temperatures descend upon us, we get ready for the eventual departure of Jarek and our fun trips in the fall and winter. I continue to be blessed with a wonderful family who I love. They boys' hearts are doing well. We strive to be better people. Tevia is as beautiful as the day I met her.
Sunday, May 07, 2017
Sunday mornings
When life seems tough, and the whole year so far has been a bit stressful,
And it seems like every week or so there is more sad news, or a new problem to solve....
And you take the burdens to the Lord, and wait upon Him, knowing He won't solve all our problems, but will comfort us, and guide us...
And you go to the temple,
And kneeling at the altar there you feel a peace that just seeps into your heart,
And then you listen to a song on Sunday morning, and the lyrics bring another kind of peace,
And you know, that even if just for a few minutes, you have felt the comfort of the Spirit, and the peace it brings.
And you believe it, and your faith grows,
"And the things of the earth dim in the face of our Glorious God"
And it seems like every week or so there is more sad news, or a new problem to solve....
And you take the burdens to the Lord, and wait upon Him, knowing He won't solve all our problems, but will comfort us, and guide us...
And you go to the temple,
And kneeling at the altar there you feel a peace that just seeps into your heart,
And then you listen to a song on Sunday morning, and the lyrics bring another kind of peace,
And you know, that even if just for a few minutes, you have felt the comfort of the Spirit, and the peace it brings.
And you believe it, and your faith grows,
"And the things of the earth dim in the face of our Glorious God"
Wednesday, March 08, 2017
Malik's Make-A-Wish: Computer and Composing Software
Malik also had the opportunity to do a Make-A-Wish. His first choice was to appear in the movie Star Wars: Episode VII. After several weeks they came back and said that option was not available but gave him some other options that I thought were pretty cool. Some that I remember were go to the Hollywood premiere of Rogue One or Episode VIII, get a special tour of Skywalker Ranch, or perhaps visit the set of the filming of Episode IX. After thinking for a few days Malik decided to switch to one of his other original wishes, which was to get some software for composing music and a nice computer to go with it (since none of our computers were really good enough for the software.
For the wish reveal they decided to set it up at the Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM) located here in Phoenix. The idea was to invite our family for a private tour of the museum and then invite friends and family to the MIM to eventually have us meet in a private room and present his wish. We thought this was a great idea.
On February 18th (Saturday) we got up to head to the MIM. It was a rainy morning and when we arrived we found someone from Make-A-Wish who took us around for a private tour. We had been to the MIM before (very cool museum) but this was so much cooler in that we got a lot of insight into the exhibits and instruments. We had at least a couple of managers also drop in to provide even more detailed information about the section we were in or about the museum at large.
After the normal tour we were taken to a behind-the-scenes tour back in the storage area. Apparently not many people get to see this area and it was amazing to see all the additional inventory they have as they plan to do new exhibits, etc. This was definitely a highlight.
After that tour we were taken to the main piano in the foyer of the museum. By this time the museum was packed. I have never seen so many people there. At the piano Malik found family (grandmas, grandpas, uncles, aunts) and friends. This was his chance to sit down at the fancy piano and give a concert. He spent quite a bit of time on the piano mostly playing music that he has spent time composing. It was touching to see him so happy to be in that position and to see so many people - not just family and friends - listening to him play his most favorite of mediums of expression.
Next we went into a back room with our family and friends where there were snacks and drinks (root beer: Malik's favorite) and some wrapped presents. He was then presented his wish which included a computer, a printer, a keyboard, and the software - which was Sibelius (apparently the best in the business). It was great to see everyone celebrate Malik and his life and his talent. Afterwards most of us met up at In'N'Out (Malik's favorite restaurant) for lunch.
After setting up the computer it did take us a few days to get the software to work, which was unfortunate for Malik. But now it works and he can spend hours doing what he wants to do. Bonus is he has a computer that can actually play video games, too.
It was an amazing experience and we are so grateful for Make-A-Wish and what they provided to Malik. Hopefully it will bring him the joy of composing the music that is constantly floating around in his head.
We love you Malik!
For the wish reveal they decided to set it up at the Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM) located here in Phoenix. The idea was to invite our family for a private tour of the museum and then invite friends and family to the MIM to eventually have us meet in a private room and present his wish. We thought this was a great idea.
On February 18th (Saturday) we got up to head to the MIM. It was a rainy morning and when we arrived we found someone from Make-A-Wish who took us around for a private tour. We had been to the MIM before (very cool museum) but this was so much cooler in that we got a lot of insight into the exhibits and instruments. We had at least a couple of managers also drop in to provide even more detailed information about the section we were in or about the museum at large.
After the normal tour we were taken to a behind-the-scenes tour back in the storage area. Apparently not many people get to see this area and it was amazing to see all the additional inventory they have as they plan to do new exhibits, etc. This was definitely a highlight.
After that tour we were taken to the main piano in the foyer of the museum. By this time the museum was packed. I have never seen so many people there. At the piano Malik found family (grandmas, grandpas, uncles, aunts) and friends. This was his chance to sit down at the fancy piano and give a concert. He spent quite a bit of time on the piano mostly playing music that he has spent time composing. It was touching to see him so happy to be in that position and to see so many people - not just family and friends - listening to him play his most favorite of mediums of expression.
Next we went into a back room with our family and friends where there were snacks and drinks (root beer: Malik's favorite) and some wrapped presents. He was then presented his wish which included a computer, a printer, a keyboard, and the software - which was Sibelius (apparently the best in the business). It was great to see everyone celebrate Malik and his life and his talent. Afterwards most of us met up at In'N'Out (Malik's favorite restaurant) for lunch.
After setting up the computer it did take us a few days to get the software to work, which was unfortunate for Malik. But now it works and he can spend hours doing what he wants to do. Bonus is he has a computer that can actually play video games, too.
It was an amazing experience and we are so grateful for Make-A-Wish and what they provided to Malik. Hopefully it will bring him the joy of composing the music that is constantly floating around in his head.
We love you Malik!
Friday, February 17, 2017
Jarek's Make-A-Wish : Disney Star Wars Cruise
Jarek decided on his Make-A-Wish this last year. His first choice was to do a Disney Star Wars Cruise. Disney had started these last year and they got great reviews. They set apart one day at sea to celebrate all that is Star Wars.
For the "reveal" as Make-A-Wish calls it they set it up so that a lot of our family and some of his friends showed up at his favorite restaurant (Carolina's) to surprise him. The cool part was that three Star Wars characters showed up from the 501st Legion to present him with his wish. They had a Stormtrooper, Kylo Ren and Boba Fett show up. It was amazing. Many of us were almost in tears as it was so fun. Some of the younger kids (cousins) were so amazed. I remember hearing one of Quentin and Yesenia's kids saying "I didn't know Jarek knew Kylo Ren!" Make-A-Wish bought everyone lunch and Carolina's was great to host it.
The cruise was set to take place at the end of January. He had chosen the one that goes out of Orlando and goes to the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), the British Virgin Islands (Tortola) and Disney's private Castaway Cay.
We left on Friday January 27 from Phoenix on a plane to Orlando. To start out Make-A-Wish had set up a car to drive us to the airport. When it arrived, lo and behold it was a limo! What a surprise. That was fun and Jarek's first time in a limo. At the airport we also got royal treatment as they let us on the plane first and they announced Jarek's trip while people around us clapped and cheered. It was touching. This actually got Jarek nervous for the rest of the trip as he doesn't like a lot of attention and didn't want to be singled out all the time. Fortunately we wouldn't have to worry about that after the flight. Our cruise wasn't until Saturday afternoon, so we had some time that evening. I had a free rental car so we used it to go to the Downtown Disney in Orlando to have some dinner and some fun. We bought some Star Wars stuff and enjoyed eating at the same sandwich place we had eaten at while at Disneyland in California earlier that month. The hotel was inside the airport, but surprisingly it was very nice and even very quiet. We had a fun Friday night and headed back to get some sleep and adapt to the east coast time.
Saturday we slept in a little, grabbed some lunch at the airport and then went to where the buses take you to the cruise ship. Disney, as expected, is very organized and this all went with no issues. None of us had ever been on a cruise before. We arrived and checked in and got on board. The ship took off that afternoon and we were on our way. There were a lot of people dressed up in Star Wars gear as well as Disney stuff. We were a little worried we might get seasick so we had brought some dramamine and some bracelets just in case. Fortunately none of us got seasick at all. That night we had dinner at one of the three restaurants you cycle through on the cruise. The first night was called Animator's Palate or something like that. It was fun, though the food wasn't as great as we had expected. But certainly it wasn't bad.
Having never been on a cruise before I'm not sure how other cruises work. On this boat they had a lot of areas for kids of certain ages. They had an area for Enok's age, for Jarek's age (up to 18) and one for those from 11-14. Malik had the choice to go to the younger area or older (with Jarek) though in the end he didn't spend much time at either. Jarek did, though. He ended up making some good friends and spent a good portion of his time in that area (called Vibe). We were happy for him. There is food everywhere and almost always available (for free). The biggest source of happiness for the kids, especially Malik, was the free ice cream machines. You could grab a cone at anytime. And even order room service anytime. They had a couple of pools, a big waterslide (called the Aqua Duck) as well as an area with a basketball court, miniature golf, ping pong tables, foosball, etc.
Saturday we got to know the ship and went to the first night's show which was pretty fun. At night we all slept in our little room and were grateful for a great first day.
The first couple of days we were just at sea on our route to the British Virgin Islands. So these days we did various activities and ate a lot of food. Jarek spent a lot of time at Vibe and would get back quite late. Our first stop (port) was to be on Tuesday at Tortola. Monday morning I woke up as it felt like the boat had stopped and sure enough we had stopped at some island. We didn't stay long and later found out it was an emergency stop for a passenger that needed to get off the boat.
Tuesday we arrived at Tortola (one of the British Virgin Islands). We had scheduled a sort of tour bus drive up in the mountains with a final stop at a beach for a bit before heading back. The drive up on our little bus/taxi was fun. Steep, winding roads with a great view of the islands all around. One of the islands at the time that was nearby had the Obamas staying on it at the time. Our driver was super nice and there was another Mormon family in our bus from the cruise that we talked to for a bit. The beach was beautiful, though a little chilly for some. Malik chose not to get in - and I don't think Tevia did more than wet her feet. In the bay there was one of those inflatable trampolines and so I swam out with Enok to let him play on that. He played on it almost the entire time we were there. On my part I rented a paddle board which was a lot of fun. At one point I picked up Enok to give him a ride. At about the time to ride back to the cruise ship it started raining. This was kinda fun and refreshing - though certainly it wasn't 'hot' by an means. By the time we got back to the cruise, it was sunny again.
We still had some time before we had to be back on board so Jarek chose to look for a 'local' restaurant to eat. We asked some locals and were told about a place in town. To get there we got a taxi. This meal ended up being one of our favorites. The local guy had suggested what to order as well. I got the 'boiled fish' which was amazing. Tevia got a curry roti (lobster) which was the win. But everyone's food was just awesome. We also ordered passionfruit juice and limeade which made it even better. After lunch we walked back (wasn't too far). The boys got back on the boat but we had a couple of hours left so Tevia and I walked through town, got some ice cream, some local pastries, sat and ate, and relaxed.
Back on the boat we had dinner and I think this was the night we attended the magic show. It was so much fun and the kids were laughing so hard. We had also watched him to a smaller, more intimate show earlier in the week. Both were great shows and he was a lot of fun to watch. His name was Shawn Farquhar.
After that it was pirate night. They do a pirate show and fireworks. We had read about this (or told by Tevia's brother) so we were prepared. Tevia had been awesome and made us all pirate costumes to wear. Enok bought a sword and we all headed up to watch the show and fireworks. It was a lot of fun.
Wednesday we arrived at St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. We had scheduled an early morning outing to take a pirate ship out to another island and do some snorkeling in the bay, which we were told had turtles. The boat had about 30 of us and we were the first to take off from port. The crew was fun and Enok and I sat upfront. It was actually pretty choppy water with big waves, so we got wet quite a bit sitting up there. But it was fun. Upon arrival we got our snorkel gear on and sure enough there were turtles and a small reef with fish. Having been snorkeling a lot the fish and reef were a bit of a disappointment, but the turtles were fun and it was fun to snorkel with the family. When we arrived we were the only boat there. By the time we left there were several boats, so it was nice to have a little time to ourselves. I had fun and Jarek also seemed to have a great time.
Jarek once again wanted a local lunch so we asked the crew where to go. Their advice was also spot on as the cafe we ate at was amazing. More passionfruit juice. My sandwich wasn't awesome, but the guacamole was fun and tasty and the juice was great. Afterwards we found an ice cream spot and then eventually made our way back to the boat. The boys were a little tired after the snorkeling, so I think at least Jarek and Malik took naps that afternoon. I think this was the day Tevia and I attended a cartoon drawing class. We had to draw Jessica Rabbit. Let's just say Tevia's Jessica was much better than mine.
Most of these nights we would attend a movie - usually a Star Wars film. While on ship we watched Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and Dr. Strange in 3D. I really enjoyed going to the movies on the ship.
I think Wednesday night was our 2nd dinner at Animator's Palate. Upon arrival they had some papers to draw on to create characters. They would then collect them and use them later on for a movie you could watch. This was very fun. I was very impressed with myself as I drew a Boba Fett character. It was fun to see everyone's characters show up in the movie and dance and march, etc.
Thursday was the day we were all waiting for. Thursday was Star Wars Day at Sea. This ended up being the highlight of the trip for me - and I think for most of the boys. This was the day we took the most care to plan our entire day. I even put the schedule on sticky notes on the mirror in the room so we would all be clear on what we wanted to do. Each guest was able to select 2 of a few selections on special events. Jarek chose for our family and got his two choices. The first ended up being a visit with Kylo Ren, which was awesome. The second was a visit with Darth Vader. We were able to get pictures with both and they interact with you. Kylo was great and at one point when Enok went to ignite his lightsaber for the photo, Kylo just looked at him and said "NO!". It was awesome. On this day they also played Star Wars on the ships horn, which was very cool. The coolest part was throughout the day they would have characters around the ship. Throughout the day we got to see everyone from Boba Fett to Stormtroopers to Jawas, Tusken Raiders, even Zam Wessel. This made me feel like a kid again as I literally would get so excited to see these characters. I know it seems so dumb, but it truly brought the kid out of me. Being able to interact with characters was so fun.
For dinner they had a Star Wars meal. Our servers actually were all dressed in Imperial uniforms and the menu was a 3D menu with meals from the Star Wars universe (select meals from different planets, etc.). It was very fun. Late at night was the Star Wars celebration. We had all purchased lightsabers and were in a hurry from finishing watching Rogue One in the theatre. They did a character show which was fun and then fireworks again. They were amazing. This day was the day we spent the most time together as a family (even Jarek spent most of the day with us). It was truly a great day.
Friday was the day at Castaway Cay, which is Disney's private island in the Bahamas. It is much further north than the other islands we visited and so was a little cooler (both air and water). Our scheduled outing we did on this day was to feed and swim with stingrays. This ended up being very cool as we were able to feed the stingrays (they would come up onto a ramp and suck the food from your hands) and then snorkel with them. Enok absolutely loved this. Tevia, Enok and I also got to ride bikes on the island which was also very fun. We didn't spend much time on the beach or in the water as it was a little cooler than we like. This actually was the only day we had an 'issue' with other people. Our family arrived at the beach early and found a good spot close to the tram so our boys wouldn't have to walk so far. We put down our stuff, including snorkel gear and towels) and left Malik there while Jarek went off with his friends and we went biking. When I got back an hour or so later, there was a big guy chugging a beer who had taken over our chairs. Malik was still there, but had apparently fallen asleep and this guy took the other 4 chairs for his family. I approached and told him that these were our chairs. He said nobody was here so he took them. I told him my son was sitting right next to him (asleep) and that we had left our towels and snorkel gear on these chairs. He had moved the snorkel gear off (he said he didn't see it) and said all the chairs had towels on them (not true, you get your towel upon leaving the boat) and he refused to make his family move. I was a little taken aback. In the interim his wife also came up (they also had two kids with them) and she totally sided with her husband and said we'd have to find other chairs. Not wanting to get upset I figured at this point I'd play my trump card and told them our kid was there on his Make-A-Wish and can't walk far and thus we had secured these chairs. So it would be nice if they would let us keep them so my boys wouldn't have to walk far. They were unfazed and said my son could keep his one chair he was sleeping on. I decided not to argue and we just decided not to spend time on the beach. But how lame is that? The good news is we didn't let that ruin our day.
This night we were also invited to a special meeting which ended up being for the 3 Make-A-Wich families on board. It was fun to meet them and then Mickey Mouse came in to spend a good 20 minutes or so with the families. This was a highlight for Malik because the room we were in had a piano and he got to play. Mickey even asked him to play something for him; so Mickey sat at the piano with Malik while Malik played one of his songs he composed. It was very cool. That night was the last show on the boat called Disney's Believe. I enjoyed it, but don't think everyone else like it as much as I did. This was our last night and we were a little sad that our trip was just about to end.
Saturday we arrived in Florida. Getting off the boat was not that bad but we ended up having quite a few hours before our flight. I had suggested possibly renting a car and going out, but we decided not to. So we sat around for a few hours, then got on the plane back to Phoenix.
It was truly a magical week and every single one of us had a great time. It was relaxing (I didn't think of work at all as there was no cell coverage) and fun. It was such a great thing Make-A-Wish was able to do for Jarek and us. It truly created lifelong memories.
For the "reveal" as Make-A-Wish calls it they set it up so that a lot of our family and some of his friends showed up at his favorite restaurant (Carolina's) to surprise him. The cool part was that three Star Wars characters showed up from the 501st Legion to present him with his wish. They had a Stormtrooper, Kylo Ren and Boba Fett show up. It was amazing. Many of us were almost in tears as it was so fun. Some of the younger kids (cousins) were so amazed. I remember hearing one of Quentin and Yesenia's kids saying "I didn't know Jarek knew Kylo Ren!" Make-A-Wish bought everyone lunch and Carolina's was great to host it.
The cruise was set to take place at the end of January. He had chosen the one that goes out of Orlando and goes to the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), the British Virgin Islands (Tortola) and Disney's private Castaway Cay.
We left on Friday January 27 from Phoenix on a plane to Orlando. To start out Make-A-Wish had set up a car to drive us to the airport. When it arrived, lo and behold it was a limo! What a surprise. That was fun and Jarek's first time in a limo. At the airport we also got royal treatment as they let us on the plane first and they announced Jarek's trip while people around us clapped and cheered. It was touching. This actually got Jarek nervous for the rest of the trip as he doesn't like a lot of attention and didn't want to be singled out all the time. Fortunately we wouldn't have to worry about that after the flight. Our cruise wasn't until Saturday afternoon, so we had some time that evening. I had a free rental car so we used it to go to the Downtown Disney in Orlando to have some dinner and some fun. We bought some Star Wars stuff and enjoyed eating at the same sandwich place we had eaten at while at Disneyland in California earlier that month. The hotel was inside the airport, but surprisingly it was very nice and even very quiet. We had a fun Friday night and headed back to get some sleep and adapt to the east coast time.
Saturday we slept in a little, grabbed some lunch at the airport and then went to where the buses take you to the cruise ship. Disney, as expected, is very organized and this all went with no issues. None of us had ever been on a cruise before. We arrived and checked in and got on board. The ship took off that afternoon and we were on our way. There were a lot of people dressed up in Star Wars gear as well as Disney stuff. We were a little worried we might get seasick so we had brought some dramamine and some bracelets just in case. Fortunately none of us got seasick at all. That night we had dinner at one of the three restaurants you cycle through on the cruise. The first night was called Animator's Palate or something like that. It was fun, though the food wasn't as great as we had expected. But certainly it wasn't bad.
Having never been on a cruise before I'm not sure how other cruises work. On this boat they had a lot of areas for kids of certain ages. They had an area for Enok's age, for Jarek's age (up to 18) and one for those from 11-14. Malik had the choice to go to the younger area or older (with Jarek) though in the end he didn't spend much time at either. Jarek did, though. He ended up making some good friends and spent a good portion of his time in that area (called Vibe). We were happy for him. There is food everywhere and almost always available (for free). The biggest source of happiness for the kids, especially Malik, was the free ice cream machines. You could grab a cone at anytime. And even order room service anytime. They had a couple of pools, a big waterslide (called the Aqua Duck) as well as an area with a basketball court, miniature golf, ping pong tables, foosball, etc.
Saturday we got to know the ship and went to the first night's show which was pretty fun. At night we all slept in our little room and were grateful for a great first day.
The first couple of days we were just at sea on our route to the British Virgin Islands. So these days we did various activities and ate a lot of food. Jarek spent a lot of time at Vibe and would get back quite late. Our first stop (port) was to be on Tuesday at Tortola. Monday morning I woke up as it felt like the boat had stopped and sure enough we had stopped at some island. We didn't stay long and later found out it was an emergency stop for a passenger that needed to get off the boat.
Tuesday we arrived at Tortola (one of the British Virgin Islands). We had scheduled a sort of tour bus drive up in the mountains with a final stop at a beach for a bit before heading back. The drive up on our little bus/taxi was fun. Steep, winding roads with a great view of the islands all around. One of the islands at the time that was nearby had the Obamas staying on it at the time. Our driver was super nice and there was another Mormon family in our bus from the cruise that we talked to for a bit. The beach was beautiful, though a little chilly for some. Malik chose not to get in - and I don't think Tevia did more than wet her feet. In the bay there was one of those inflatable trampolines and so I swam out with Enok to let him play on that. He played on it almost the entire time we were there. On my part I rented a paddle board which was a lot of fun. At one point I picked up Enok to give him a ride. At about the time to ride back to the cruise ship it started raining. This was kinda fun and refreshing - though certainly it wasn't 'hot' by an means. By the time we got back to the cruise, it was sunny again.
We still had some time before we had to be back on board so Jarek chose to look for a 'local' restaurant to eat. We asked some locals and were told about a place in town. To get there we got a taxi. This meal ended up being one of our favorites. The local guy had suggested what to order as well. I got the 'boiled fish' which was amazing. Tevia got a curry roti (lobster) which was the win. But everyone's food was just awesome. We also ordered passionfruit juice and limeade which made it even better. After lunch we walked back (wasn't too far). The boys got back on the boat but we had a couple of hours left so Tevia and I walked through town, got some ice cream, some local pastries, sat and ate, and relaxed.
Back on the boat we had dinner and I think this was the night we attended the magic show. It was so much fun and the kids were laughing so hard. We had also watched him to a smaller, more intimate show earlier in the week. Both were great shows and he was a lot of fun to watch. His name was Shawn Farquhar.
After that it was pirate night. They do a pirate show and fireworks. We had read about this (or told by Tevia's brother) so we were prepared. Tevia had been awesome and made us all pirate costumes to wear. Enok bought a sword and we all headed up to watch the show and fireworks. It was a lot of fun.
Wednesday we arrived at St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. We had scheduled an early morning outing to take a pirate ship out to another island and do some snorkeling in the bay, which we were told had turtles. The boat had about 30 of us and we were the first to take off from port. The crew was fun and Enok and I sat upfront. It was actually pretty choppy water with big waves, so we got wet quite a bit sitting up there. But it was fun. Upon arrival we got our snorkel gear on and sure enough there were turtles and a small reef with fish. Having been snorkeling a lot the fish and reef were a bit of a disappointment, but the turtles were fun and it was fun to snorkel with the family. When we arrived we were the only boat there. By the time we left there were several boats, so it was nice to have a little time to ourselves. I had fun and Jarek also seemed to have a great time.
Jarek once again wanted a local lunch so we asked the crew where to go. Their advice was also spot on as the cafe we ate at was amazing. More passionfruit juice. My sandwich wasn't awesome, but the guacamole was fun and tasty and the juice was great. Afterwards we found an ice cream spot and then eventually made our way back to the boat. The boys were a little tired after the snorkeling, so I think at least Jarek and Malik took naps that afternoon. I think this was the day Tevia and I attended a cartoon drawing class. We had to draw Jessica Rabbit. Let's just say Tevia's Jessica was much better than mine.
Most of these nights we would attend a movie - usually a Star Wars film. While on ship we watched Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and Dr. Strange in 3D. I really enjoyed going to the movies on the ship.
I think Wednesday night was our 2nd dinner at Animator's Palate. Upon arrival they had some papers to draw on to create characters. They would then collect them and use them later on for a movie you could watch. This was very fun. I was very impressed with myself as I drew a Boba Fett character. It was fun to see everyone's characters show up in the movie and dance and march, etc.
Thursday was the day we were all waiting for. Thursday was Star Wars Day at Sea. This ended up being the highlight of the trip for me - and I think for most of the boys. This was the day we took the most care to plan our entire day. I even put the schedule on sticky notes on the mirror in the room so we would all be clear on what we wanted to do. Each guest was able to select 2 of a few selections on special events. Jarek chose for our family and got his two choices. The first ended up being a visit with Kylo Ren, which was awesome. The second was a visit with Darth Vader. We were able to get pictures with both and they interact with you. Kylo was great and at one point when Enok went to ignite his lightsaber for the photo, Kylo just looked at him and said "NO!". It was awesome. On this day they also played Star Wars on the ships horn, which was very cool. The coolest part was throughout the day they would have characters around the ship. Throughout the day we got to see everyone from Boba Fett to Stormtroopers to Jawas, Tusken Raiders, even Zam Wessel. This made me feel like a kid again as I literally would get so excited to see these characters. I know it seems so dumb, but it truly brought the kid out of me. Being able to interact with characters was so fun.
For dinner they had a Star Wars meal. Our servers actually were all dressed in Imperial uniforms and the menu was a 3D menu with meals from the Star Wars universe (select meals from different planets, etc.). It was very fun. Late at night was the Star Wars celebration. We had all purchased lightsabers and were in a hurry from finishing watching Rogue One in the theatre. They did a character show which was fun and then fireworks again. They were amazing. This day was the day we spent the most time together as a family (even Jarek spent most of the day with us). It was truly a great day.
Friday was the day at Castaway Cay, which is Disney's private island in the Bahamas. It is much further north than the other islands we visited and so was a little cooler (both air and water). Our scheduled outing we did on this day was to feed and swim with stingrays. This ended up being very cool as we were able to feed the stingrays (they would come up onto a ramp and suck the food from your hands) and then snorkel with them. Enok absolutely loved this. Tevia, Enok and I also got to ride bikes on the island which was also very fun. We didn't spend much time on the beach or in the water as it was a little cooler than we like. This actually was the only day we had an 'issue' with other people. Our family arrived at the beach early and found a good spot close to the tram so our boys wouldn't have to walk so far. We put down our stuff, including snorkel gear and towels) and left Malik there while Jarek went off with his friends and we went biking. When I got back an hour or so later, there was a big guy chugging a beer who had taken over our chairs. Malik was still there, but had apparently fallen asleep and this guy took the other 4 chairs for his family. I approached and told him that these were our chairs. He said nobody was here so he took them. I told him my son was sitting right next to him (asleep) and that we had left our towels and snorkel gear on these chairs. He had moved the snorkel gear off (he said he didn't see it) and said all the chairs had towels on them (not true, you get your towel upon leaving the boat) and he refused to make his family move. I was a little taken aback. In the interim his wife also came up (they also had two kids with them) and she totally sided with her husband and said we'd have to find other chairs. Not wanting to get upset I figured at this point I'd play my trump card and told them our kid was there on his Make-A-Wish and can't walk far and thus we had secured these chairs. So it would be nice if they would let us keep them so my boys wouldn't have to walk far. They were unfazed and said my son could keep his one chair he was sleeping on. I decided not to argue and we just decided not to spend time on the beach. But how lame is that? The good news is we didn't let that ruin our day.
This night we were also invited to a special meeting which ended up being for the 3 Make-A-Wich families on board. It was fun to meet them and then Mickey Mouse came in to spend a good 20 minutes or so with the families. This was a highlight for Malik because the room we were in had a piano and he got to play. Mickey even asked him to play something for him; so Mickey sat at the piano with Malik while Malik played one of his songs he composed. It was very cool. That night was the last show on the boat called Disney's Believe. I enjoyed it, but don't think everyone else like it as much as I did. This was our last night and we were a little sad that our trip was just about to end.
Saturday we arrived in Florida. Getting off the boat was not that bad but we ended up having quite a few hours before our flight. I had suggested possibly renting a car and going out, but we decided not to. So we sat around for a few hours, then got on the plane back to Phoenix.
It was truly a magical week and every single one of us had a great time. It was relaxing (I didn't think of work at all as there was no cell coverage) and fun. It was such a great thing Make-A-Wish was able to do for Jarek and us. It truly created lifelong memories.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
New year, lots of changes
First of all, I want to thank all of you who surprised us and made it possible for all of us to be together for a bunch of times over the holidays! It brings great joy to me as a mother to see my children, spouses, and grand children all together.
Thank you to Jacob and Cari for making the condo available for us all to hang out in.
It was a fun way to start the year.
2017 will bring many considerable changes, whopping ones to each family.
It will be fun to see where we all end up, how, and what paths we will find ourselves on.
Thank you to Jacob and Cari for making the condo available for us all to hang out in.
It was a fun way to start the year.
2017 will bring many considerable changes, whopping ones to each family.
It will be fun to see where we all end up, how, and what paths we will find ourselves on.
- Dad and I have started our mission papers, with a plan to leave sometime in June or July, however, dad just received a new calling, and who knows where that will lead. We have made it through the year long adjustment of being together 24/7, gotten used to it, survived the move, and love the new ward. I have loved getting to see Arizona- the rides and camping and hikes and sunrises and sunsets. I love being by the temple, and being a temple worker. Unfortunately, dad's new calling will make it so he will not be able to serve with me there. I love being close to my kids and grandkids, and got to see the Utah ones a lot more also. We have learned a great deal about ourselves, and we our happy and healthy as we start out the new year
- Bret and Tevia will see a major change when Jarek either ships off to college or on a mission. Wow! I can't believe it, it went by so quickly.
- Jacob and Cari officially moved in 2017, and time will tell how they like their new neighborhood, ward, and what callings they will get to do. Their kids get to start a new school. Life will be very different.
- Kathy and Jimmy have their new little one arriving in April! That will bring major adjustments and lots of joy.
- Tom and Holly may find themselves somewhere new and unexpected.
- My mother just turned 89, and I am glad she is able to still smile and enjoy parts of life. I am sure this year will bring changes to her life as well.
I love my life, and each and everyone one of you, each grand child, and dad. I am proud of the life he has provided for me. I have never been hungry, or in need of anything. We love each other, need each other, and are grateful for each other.
I pray we all have a Happy 2017, filled with all the ups, downs, challenges, evolution, growth, gratification, glee,and joys that the Lord will provide.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Fall 2016
Technically fall is still in full effect, but as it is Halloween it feels like the end of fall to me. It has been a warm fall here in Phoenix with most of October still in the 90s. But it has been nice at night, so someone like me can't complain. I know soon will come the days of cold (to me) and then I'll be longing for summer once more.
We had our annual fall break trip to Mexico this year in October. This year we had Jacob and Millie and their kids as well as Tevia's parents and Jhade. We did things a little different this year as we normally rent a house in las Conchas, but this year since we couldn't find a house we liked we tried a resort called Las Palmas. We had a penthouse suite (top floor) and it had a few amenities we aren't used to like a pool, a waterslide, a bar, a small gym, etc. We had a great time, but I think most of us agreed the house is more fun. So next year we already have the house we rented last year (2015) reserved. We did our typical things and went to our typical food-places. It continually gets busier each year, which is good but also lame as we liked having it small and less crowded. As people feel safer down there, more people go. One highlight for me was one afternoon Jacob Webb and I walked about a mile down the beach to the pier where they are building the place for the cruiselines. It is a huge pier of basically large concrete blocks and pillars thrown in on top of each other. We brought our snorkel gear and went along the pier. It was amazing. There were so many fish. At some points we were completely surrounded by fish. A large school of needle fish continually circled us for most of the swim. Another part we ran into a bait ball of millions of fish probably 20 - 30 feet in diameter. It was very cool. But I didn't bring my GoPro, so no footage of that unfortunately. It was relaxing and fun, as usual.
Another highlight of the last couple of months was that I signed up for some flyboard lessons after having seen it at Lake Powell. I have been so busy I was never able to find time to do it, but fortunately with the warmer weather I was able to go this weekend at Lake Pleasant. It was so much fun and so much work. I was sore all afternoon afterwards. But it was worth it. I loved it. I just love being in the water.
In mid-October we did a fishing trip up to Lake Powell with Jacob Wall (my brother), Jacob Webb, Jimmy Cox, and myself. It was a lot of fun. We stayed on the houseboat but decided to leave it on the buoy instead of taking it out. I think it was totally worth it. We also didn't use the bathrooms at all so we wouldn't have to do the sewage stuff (also worth it). The company was great and we did have some success fishing. We mostly caught Stripers - and a few were big enough to fillet and eat (or freeze). It was great to get away for a couple of days. We also got to go down Antelope Canyon, which I had never done before. It was gorgeous. Lake Powell is so beautiful. The Lake was mostly empty and most days was glass (no waves). Jacob Wall had recently bought a boat, so we had brought that up to do the fishing from.
On Saturday night we were invited to a Halloween/Costume party. We don't get invited to many things, so I was excited. Our original costume ideas (we were going to go as characters from Stranger Things) didn't work out. In the end I dressed as Blurry Face (from Twenty One Pilots) - which nobody even knew. The one part of the party that was amazing was the magician they had hired. We didn't know they had hired one, but at one point a guy approached us and started doing tricks. He was amazing. For my trick he had me take a book he had and open it to any page and pick any word on the page. Then I was supposed to think about it so he could guess. He then wrote down the word and handed me the paper to eventually open up and show everyone. I opened it and it was the correct word (firecracker). He did a similar trick with Tevia. It was so fun.
Tevia also was just called as the Young Women's President. So we have two members of the Ward Council in our immediate family - and three if we extend to Cari. Crazy. I also had lunch with one of my mission buddies who was just called as Stake President. He is so overwhelmed; but man it was fun to see him again. We had a great time.
Beyond that things continue to go well with our boys. Jarek is working on applying for colleges. Malik is thriving in high school. And Enok continues to grow up. I am a lucky man - and blessed.
We had our annual fall break trip to Mexico this year in October. This year we had Jacob and Millie and their kids as well as Tevia's parents and Jhade. We did things a little different this year as we normally rent a house in las Conchas, but this year since we couldn't find a house we liked we tried a resort called Las Palmas. We had a penthouse suite (top floor) and it had a few amenities we aren't used to like a pool, a waterslide, a bar, a small gym, etc. We had a great time, but I think most of us agreed the house is more fun. So next year we already have the house we rented last year (2015) reserved. We did our typical things and went to our typical food-places. It continually gets busier each year, which is good but also lame as we liked having it small and less crowded. As people feel safer down there, more people go. One highlight for me was one afternoon Jacob Webb and I walked about a mile down the beach to the pier where they are building the place for the cruiselines. It is a huge pier of basically large concrete blocks and pillars thrown in on top of each other. We brought our snorkel gear and went along the pier. It was amazing. There were so many fish. At some points we were completely surrounded by fish. A large school of needle fish continually circled us for most of the swim. Another part we ran into a bait ball of millions of fish probably 20 - 30 feet in diameter. It was very cool. But I didn't bring my GoPro, so no footage of that unfortunately. It was relaxing and fun, as usual.
Another highlight of the last couple of months was that I signed up for some flyboard lessons after having seen it at Lake Powell. I have been so busy I was never able to find time to do it, but fortunately with the warmer weather I was able to go this weekend at Lake Pleasant. It was so much fun and so much work. I was sore all afternoon afterwards. But it was worth it. I loved it. I just love being in the water.
In mid-October we did a fishing trip up to Lake Powell with Jacob Wall (my brother), Jacob Webb, Jimmy Cox, and myself. It was a lot of fun. We stayed on the houseboat but decided to leave it on the buoy instead of taking it out. I think it was totally worth it. We also didn't use the bathrooms at all so we wouldn't have to do the sewage stuff (also worth it). The company was great and we did have some success fishing. We mostly caught Stripers - and a few were big enough to fillet and eat (or freeze). It was great to get away for a couple of days. We also got to go down Antelope Canyon, which I had never done before. It was gorgeous. Lake Powell is so beautiful. The Lake was mostly empty and most days was glass (no waves). Jacob Wall had recently bought a boat, so we had brought that up to do the fishing from.
On Saturday night we were invited to a Halloween/Costume party. We don't get invited to many things, so I was excited. Our original costume ideas (we were going to go as characters from Stranger Things) didn't work out. In the end I dressed as Blurry Face (from Twenty One Pilots) - which nobody even knew. The one part of the party that was amazing was the magician they had hired. We didn't know they had hired one, but at one point a guy approached us and started doing tricks. He was amazing. For my trick he had me take a book he had and open it to any page and pick any word on the page. Then I was supposed to think about it so he could guess. He then wrote down the word and handed me the paper to eventually open up and show everyone. I opened it and it was the correct word (firecracker). He did a similar trick with Tevia. It was so fun.
Tevia also was just called as the Young Women's President. So we have two members of the Ward Council in our immediate family - and three if we extend to Cari. Crazy. I also had lunch with one of my mission buddies who was just called as Stake President. He is so overwhelmed; but man it was fun to see him again. We had a great time.
Beyond that things continue to go well with our boys. Jarek is working on applying for colleges. Malik is thriving in high school. And Enok continues to grow up. I am a lucky man - and blessed.
Thursday, September 01, 2016
Cedar Point 2016
In August I had to do a trip to Cleveland, OH to train one of my employees. I had decided last year that the next time I went to Cleveland I wanted to stay for the weekend and go to Cedar Point. I hadn't been in years and love the park. I've spent many years there and it has great memories.
So I did. The great part was that when I told Tevia that she told me she also wanted to go. Usually she goes on one trip each year. Last year it was Israel. This year she chose Cleveland - mostly so she could go to Cedar Point.
She flew out on Friday and I picked her up at the airport. That evening we spent with my Uncle Mike and his family. His daughter (my cousin) and her family came and we had pizza and sat outside catching up. It was great to see them. They gave us Cleveland Cavaliers shirts (the town is EXTREMELY happy that LeBron finally won them a championship).
Saturday we got up early and drove out to Cedar Point. Since we had last gone (about 8 years ago or so) they had built quite a few new roller coasters. We waited anxiously for the park to open and walked quickly to our first ride (Gatekeeper). There was like a 5 minute wait and it was a great ride - one of the new ones we'd never been on. Next week waited in line for their newest roller coaster called the Valravn. It was a long line (the longest one we waited in all day) but it was awesome. I definitely would say it is one of the best rides I've ever been on.
It was so fun to have Tevia with me. I felt young and free. We weren't stressed with waiting in lines and did whatever we wanted to. We got to go on the Top Thrill Dragster (still my fav I think) and many other rides. It was amazing. I had so much fun. The weather was pretty good - though a little humid for my dry, Arizona liking.
At the end of the day some clouds came in and we got rained on a bit. About an hour before the park closed the rain started closing some of the rides, but by this time we were about done. We finished the evening getting a Funnel Cake, which was fabulous. We then headed back to the hotel to get ready to fly back the next day.
It was a quick day for Tevia. But I loved having her out there. We wish we could have had others with us. Maybe next year.
So I did. The great part was that when I told Tevia that she told me she also wanted to go. Usually she goes on one trip each year. Last year it was Israel. This year she chose Cleveland - mostly so she could go to Cedar Point.
She flew out on Friday and I picked her up at the airport. That evening we spent with my Uncle Mike and his family. His daughter (my cousin) and her family came and we had pizza and sat outside catching up. It was great to see them. They gave us Cleveland Cavaliers shirts (the town is EXTREMELY happy that LeBron finally won them a championship).
Saturday we got up early and drove out to Cedar Point. Since we had last gone (about 8 years ago or so) they had built quite a few new roller coasters. We waited anxiously for the park to open and walked quickly to our first ride (Gatekeeper). There was like a 5 minute wait and it was a great ride - one of the new ones we'd never been on. Next week waited in line for their newest roller coaster called the Valravn. It was a long line (the longest one we waited in all day) but it was awesome. I definitely would say it is one of the best rides I've ever been on.
It was so fun to have Tevia with me. I felt young and free. We weren't stressed with waiting in lines and did whatever we wanted to. We got to go on the Top Thrill Dragster (still my fav I think) and many other rides. It was amazing. I had so much fun. The weather was pretty good - though a little humid for my dry, Arizona liking.
At the end of the day some clouds came in and we got rained on a bit. About an hour before the park closed the rain started closing some of the rides, but by this time we were about done. We finished the evening getting a Funnel Cake, which was fabulous. We then headed back to the hotel to get ready to fly back the next day.
It was a quick day for Tevia. But I loved having her out there. We wish we could have had others with us. Maybe next year.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Summer 2016
Summer is upon us in Phoenix. After a very cool (temperature) spring we expected a long, hot summer. And so far that has been the case. But it has been a fun summer nonetheless. The kids have a couple more weeks before they go back to school. In fact, Jarek has already started going back for band camp. So we are winding down to end of summer, which I will say is marked by the start of school.
For me summer has gone by quickly. But we've had some fun times. Here are some highlights.
London June 2016
I had to go back to London for a week for work for the second time this year. It was a very busy trip so I didn't actually get to do much "tourist" stuff, but it was a nice trip. I stayed at a different hotel than usual (I usually pick the cheapest one from our company's site and the one that is usually cheaper was not this time). This hotel was in a new location that I loved. There were a ton of hole-in-the-wall joints that provided some great dining options. I still went to Pret almost every day, but had some great Pho and loved a place called Bombay Burrito which was exactly like it sounds. I tried to go see the new Harry Potter play (which hadn't officially started, but was showing a pre-run show) but it was completely sold out. Wimbledon was also going on; the second time I've been in London during Wimbledon. And again was disappointed that it is ridiculously expensive and almost impossible to get tickets. One fun part was it was the week after the Brexit vote. So that is what everybody was talking about.
Mexico June 2016
We also did a few days in Rocky Point in June. I never tire of going here (we are also going again in October). We stayed at a new home this time which was right down the street from where we stayed last fall. We had a smaller group this time but the weather was great and I enjoyed it. I drove down separately later in the week as I had some work stuff to do and met up with Tevia and the boys and Risa/Duncan and Grandma and Grandpa Webb. We tried a couple of new things to eat this time which were amazing. One was what I have seen quite a bit called "tostilocos" usually. They usually take Sabritas (a type of chip brand) and open the bag and add corn and then you can add anything you want from their assorted flavors. I added some of the sweet chile, hot chile, various salsas, mexican cheese, etc. It was amazing. This is the same food stand that we get our churros from and the platanos that they grill up and cover with sweet goodness. We also found one of our hot dog places (I love mexican hot dogs) had something they called a "chile dog" which was basically a bacon-wrapped hot dog inserted into a chile and then put on a bun. Bliss. We left just in time as the last day was crazy hot - which means getting back to Phoenix meant temperatures of 120 degrees. The hottest since we've lived in Phoenix.
Lake Powell July 2016
We missed the annual Powell trip last summer since we were in Peru. So we were excited to go again this year - though we couldn't make it the whole week. Tevia had girls' camp so me and the boys drove up early Wednesday to pick her up and then go up to Lake Powell to meet up with the Wall family that had been there since Monday. This trip was missing Tom and his family, but we picked up my cousin Dan Woodland and his family. It was great to see them and they were a great addition for the trip.
The weather was amazing. I felt the trip was fantastic. I got to wakeboard a couple of times (no skurfing this year, which was sad). We tried to get Enok up on skis this year. He came close but was way too scared to keep trying. We did fireworks one night with some great stuff Jake bought in New Mexico. They were great and then our neighbor boats got out their fireworks and it became an amazing show. Best I've seen in years. One boat even had a drone they sent above their fireworks to film them from above. Very cool.
Another cool thing was watching a couple of the houseboats around us playing on what I think are called FlyBoards. Basically you are like Iron Man and can hover in the air and do tricks, etc. Not everyone thought it looked fun, but it looked super fun to me. Would love to try it out.
In the end nobody got sunburned and we had fun. The last day was windy which made docking the boat and unloading tough and added some stress - but the last day always is tough.
To finish up the summer I have a business trip in two week to Cleveland. Tevia is going to tag along for a couple of days and on the weekend we are going to Cedar Point. We haven't been there since before we went to Hong Kong. We are looking forward to it.
For me summer has gone by quickly. But we've had some fun times. Here are some highlights.
London June 2016
I had to go back to London for a week for work for the second time this year. It was a very busy trip so I didn't actually get to do much "tourist" stuff, but it was a nice trip. I stayed at a different hotel than usual (I usually pick the cheapest one from our company's site and the one that is usually cheaper was not this time). This hotel was in a new location that I loved. There were a ton of hole-in-the-wall joints that provided some great dining options. I still went to Pret almost every day, but had some great Pho and loved a place called Bombay Burrito which was exactly like it sounds. I tried to go see the new Harry Potter play (which hadn't officially started, but was showing a pre-run show) but it was completely sold out. Wimbledon was also going on; the second time I've been in London during Wimbledon. And again was disappointed that it is ridiculously expensive and almost impossible to get tickets. One fun part was it was the week after the Brexit vote. So that is what everybody was talking about.
Mexico June 2016
We also did a few days in Rocky Point in June. I never tire of going here (we are also going again in October). We stayed at a new home this time which was right down the street from where we stayed last fall. We had a smaller group this time but the weather was great and I enjoyed it. I drove down separately later in the week as I had some work stuff to do and met up with Tevia and the boys and Risa/Duncan and Grandma and Grandpa Webb. We tried a couple of new things to eat this time which were amazing. One was what I have seen quite a bit called "tostilocos" usually. They usually take Sabritas (a type of chip brand) and open the bag and add corn and then you can add anything you want from their assorted flavors. I added some of the sweet chile, hot chile, various salsas, mexican cheese, etc. It was amazing. This is the same food stand that we get our churros from and the platanos that they grill up and cover with sweet goodness. We also found one of our hot dog places (I love mexican hot dogs) had something they called a "chile dog" which was basically a bacon-wrapped hot dog inserted into a chile and then put on a bun. Bliss. We left just in time as the last day was crazy hot - which means getting back to Phoenix meant temperatures of 120 degrees. The hottest since we've lived in Phoenix.
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| Tostilocos |
Lake Powell July 2016
We missed the annual Powell trip last summer since we were in Peru. So we were excited to go again this year - though we couldn't make it the whole week. Tevia had girls' camp so me and the boys drove up early Wednesday to pick her up and then go up to Lake Powell to meet up with the Wall family that had been there since Monday. This trip was missing Tom and his family, but we picked up my cousin Dan Woodland and his family. It was great to see them and they were a great addition for the trip.
The weather was amazing. I felt the trip was fantastic. I got to wakeboard a couple of times (no skurfing this year, which was sad). We tried to get Enok up on skis this year. He came close but was way too scared to keep trying. We did fireworks one night with some great stuff Jake bought in New Mexico. They were great and then our neighbor boats got out their fireworks and it became an amazing show. Best I've seen in years. One boat even had a drone they sent above their fireworks to film them from above. Very cool.
Another cool thing was watching a couple of the houseboats around us playing on what I think are called FlyBoards. Basically you are like Iron Man and can hover in the air and do tricks, etc. Not everyone thought it looked fun, but it looked super fun to me. Would love to try it out.
In the end nobody got sunburned and we had fun. The last day was windy which made docking the boat and unloading tough and added some stress - but the last day always is tough.
| FlyBoard (this is not one of us!) |
To finish up the summer I have a business trip in two week to Cleveland. Tevia is going to tag along for a couple of days and on the weekend we are going to Cedar Point. We haven't been there since before we went to Hong Kong. We are looking forward to it.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Spring 2016
I'm not sure why I don't blog as much. It's not as if life has gotten less interesting or less is happening. But for some reason I just don't think about it as much. So let's try to get caught up on what has happened in the last few months.
CHINA
It has been a few years since I was in China (not counting Hong Kong) and this year I got to go back on a business trip for a week. I went to Shanghai, a city I've been to before and love. My hotel was so fun. Though the weather was not great and it was so busy I had little time to do much besides business, I still loved it. The food was amazing and I got to see some old friends. I enjoy Shanghai so much. I always feel welcome and love to see how much progress the city continues to make.
MEXICO CITY
I love Mexico, but my experiences in Mexico have been limited to a few places. One place I have never been is Mexico City. This spring I had the opportunity to take a business trip down to visit. I didn't have much time; I literally was there for less than 48 hours. But I loved it. I was looking at apartments and other things for a group of people moving there sometime this summer. This part of the city was beautiful and certainly one of the nicer parts of the city. The people I met, the homes I saw, and the sights we passed made me want to actually move there. I got a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and have some great food. What a wonderful place; and my love for this country grew even more.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
This year was our 20th wedding anniversary. First of all, it is very difficult for me to imagine I have been married that long. But we knew we wanted to do something cool to celebrate. We originally had planned a trip to an island off the coast of Belize, but for some reason we couldn't pull the trigger. So we decided to go to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic as we had friends who love it there. We stayed longer than any trip we've ever done before. Tevia did a great job blogging the many details. So this is my executive summary. It was wonderful. It was hard not to compare it to Mexico; and frankly, Mexico is much nicer in my opinion. But we had a great, relaxing time. My favorite part was a trip to one of the islands off the coast where we had a catamaran trip there and then spent a few hours on this tropical paradise and ate lunch before we headed back on a speed boat. I love spending this time with Tevia who remains my best friend and beautiful as ever. I am a lucky guy to have a woman so beautiful even after all these years. A great trip overall and very relaxing.
KIDS
Each of my boys bring me so much happiness. Enok has been going to a new school as he was accepted into the gifted school in the district. Our other boys were, too, but decided not to go. Enok decided to go and I've seen a big change in him. He is more extroverted and confident. It has been hard at a new school, but I think he has loved it. It has been fun to see him grow and change. Malik continues to excel at his piano and he composes such wonderful songs that they even get stuck in my head all the time. He has matured so much and is a loving soul. He is always there to tell me he loves me and misses me when I travel. Jarek continues to be such an amazing young man. He recently took the ACT and got a 35 on it. I have never known anyone to get such a great score. What a smart kid.
The two older boys also were approved to get a "Make a Wish" for their heart conditions. We had the Make a Wish organization come along with the company sponsoring them both. They brought a camera crew to capture the process and so far all that they have done is provide their wishes. We'll soon hear which, if any, are approved and move forward on that. It is neat to see our boys get a chance at something so special and see others willing to help kids like them. It will be fun to see what wishes get approved and see the boys experience these amazing things.
LIFE
Life has been a blessing and this year is going by so fast. I feel I have been slacking on a few things this year that I hope to get better at (family scripture reading is one of these). But other areas I have made improvements in. The best improvement this year has been my enjoyment of my job. Work is work and isn't always fun. And though I travel a lot and it has been a busy year, I love the people I work with and have enjoyed this challenge and new client. What a difference that makes. Most days I don't even mind turning on the computer and starting the work day. That is a huge blessing. Add that to my beautiful wife, three amazing boys who I look up to and love, the opportunity to travel and great health and I'd say I am one lucky guy.
CHINA
It has been a few years since I was in China (not counting Hong Kong) and this year I got to go back on a business trip for a week. I went to Shanghai, a city I've been to before and love. My hotel was so fun. Though the weather was not great and it was so busy I had little time to do much besides business, I still loved it. The food was amazing and I got to see some old friends. I enjoy Shanghai so much. I always feel welcome and love to see how much progress the city continues to make.
MEXICO CITY
I love Mexico, but my experiences in Mexico have been limited to a few places. One place I have never been is Mexico City. This spring I had the opportunity to take a business trip down to visit. I didn't have much time; I literally was there for less than 48 hours. But I loved it. I was looking at apartments and other things for a group of people moving there sometime this summer. This part of the city was beautiful and certainly one of the nicer parts of the city. The people I met, the homes I saw, and the sights we passed made me want to actually move there. I got a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and have some great food. What a wonderful place; and my love for this country grew even more.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
This year was our 20th wedding anniversary. First of all, it is very difficult for me to imagine I have been married that long. But we knew we wanted to do something cool to celebrate. We originally had planned a trip to an island off the coast of Belize, but for some reason we couldn't pull the trigger. So we decided to go to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic as we had friends who love it there. We stayed longer than any trip we've ever done before. Tevia did a great job blogging the many details. So this is my executive summary. It was wonderful. It was hard not to compare it to Mexico; and frankly, Mexico is much nicer in my opinion. But we had a great, relaxing time. My favorite part was a trip to one of the islands off the coast where we had a catamaran trip there and then spent a few hours on this tropical paradise and ate lunch before we headed back on a speed boat. I love spending this time with Tevia who remains my best friend and beautiful as ever. I am a lucky guy to have a woman so beautiful even after all these years. A great trip overall and very relaxing.
KIDS
Each of my boys bring me so much happiness. Enok has been going to a new school as he was accepted into the gifted school in the district. Our other boys were, too, but decided not to go. Enok decided to go and I've seen a big change in him. He is more extroverted and confident. It has been hard at a new school, but I think he has loved it. It has been fun to see him grow and change. Malik continues to excel at his piano and he composes such wonderful songs that they even get stuck in my head all the time. He has matured so much and is a loving soul. He is always there to tell me he loves me and misses me when I travel. Jarek continues to be such an amazing young man. He recently took the ACT and got a 35 on it. I have never known anyone to get such a great score. What a smart kid.
The two older boys also were approved to get a "Make a Wish" for their heart conditions. We had the Make a Wish organization come along with the company sponsoring them both. They brought a camera crew to capture the process and so far all that they have done is provide their wishes. We'll soon hear which, if any, are approved and move forward on that. It is neat to see our boys get a chance at something so special and see others willing to help kids like them. It will be fun to see what wishes get approved and see the boys experience these amazing things.
LIFE
Life has been a blessing and this year is going by so fast. I feel I have been slacking on a few things this year that I hope to get better at (family scripture reading is one of these). But other areas I have made improvements in. The best improvement this year has been my enjoyment of my job. Work is work and isn't always fun. And though I travel a lot and it has been a busy year, I love the people I work with and have enjoyed this challenge and new client. What a difference that makes. Most days I don't even mind turning on the computer and starting the work day. That is a huge blessing. Add that to my beautiful wife, three amazing boys who I look up to and love, the opportunity to travel and great health and I'd say I am one lucky guy.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
London 2016
For my first overseas business trip of the year I headed to London for some meetings with my client this week. I was not looking forward to traveling as I just felt like staying home with the family, but I was looking forward to spending some time there as a tourist with some of my team. A couple of them had never been to London, so we were taking a day or so to go around London - with me just kind of directing them to where they wanted to go as I have been to London several times.
The week ended up being great. Travel was easy. We had a great time looking around London. And the business meetings went very well. Yesterday I got on a plane back and got home safe and sound to be with the family again.
Here are some highlights of the trip.
PRET. I love the little shop called Pret A Manger (Ready to Eat in French). It is a chain that we first discovered in Hong Kong that serves fresh sandwiches on awesome bread and it known for being organic, etc. I honestly eat there almost every day I am in London. My team made fun of me as I always wanted to go there - but they weren't having it. They forced me to take a picture while there and nicknamed be Bret Pret (or various other similar things like Pret Prat, Bret Brat, Bret Prat).
MORMON. Most of my coworkers laughed as there was a ton of Book of Mormon (play) advertising around London. My boss is also Mormon.
St. Paul's Cathedral. I went here with Tevia a few years ago, but went again with one of my coworkers. Such a beautiful building and great view of London.
British Museum. Tevia had been here before, but not me. One of the coolest things I thought was seeing one of the original crystal skulls.
Tower Bridge. This was also my first time going up by Tower Bridge (and London Tower). While up in Tower Bridge there is a glass floor you can see below.
Fun trip.
The week ended up being great. Travel was easy. We had a great time looking around London. And the business meetings went very well. Yesterday I got on a plane back and got home safe and sound to be with the family again.
Here are some highlights of the trip.
PRET. I love the little shop called Pret A Manger (Ready to Eat in French). It is a chain that we first discovered in Hong Kong that serves fresh sandwiches on awesome bread and it known for being organic, etc. I honestly eat there almost every day I am in London. My team made fun of me as I always wanted to go there - but they weren't having it. They forced me to take a picture while there and nicknamed be Bret Pret (or various other similar things like Pret Prat, Bret Brat, Bret Prat).
MORMON. Most of my coworkers laughed as there was a ton of Book of Mormon (play) advertising around London. My boss is also Mormon.
St. Paul's Cathedral. I went here with Tevia a few years ago, but went again with one of my coworkers. Such a beautiful building and great view of London.
British Museum. Tevia had been here before, but not me. One of the coolest things I thought was seeing one of the original crystal skulls.
Tower Bridge. This was also my first time going up by Tower Bridge (and London Tower). While up in Tower Bridge there is a glass floor you can see below.
Fun trip.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Bret's 2015 Favorites
Here are my favorites for 2015
Favorite Movies:
1 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2 - Jurassic World
3 - The Martian
4 - Furious 7
5 - Mad Max or Ex Machina (from Cleanflix)
Favorite Books:
1 - Ready Player One
2 - Firefight
3 - The Martian
4 - Okay For Now
5 - Star Wars: Dark Disciple
Favorite Songs (see playlist on side):
I loved Twenty One Pilots new album as well as Imagine Dragons. I probably could put more than 2 from each of those, but I didn't.
- Stressed Out - Twenty One Pilots
- Tear in my Heart - Twenty One Pilots
- Gold - Imagine Dragons
- I'm So Sorry - Imagine Dragons
- Good For You - Selena Gomez
- New Americana - Halsey
- Gooey - Glass Animals
- Lean On - Major Lazer, etc.
- Can't Deny My Love - Brandon Flowers
- Renegades - X-Ambassadors
Favorite Meal - first dinner in Jerusalem with Tevia at a small street vendor on a cold evening. So good.
Favorite TV Show: Didn't see many, so I'd say it's still Arrow since that is about the only show I watched.
Favorite Concert: Imagine Dragons (fun with Kathy, Jimmy, Cari)
Fun year!
Favorite Movies:
1 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2 - Jurassic World
3 - The Martian
4 - Furious 7
5 - Mad Max or Ex Machina (from Cleanflix)
Favorite Books:
1 - Ready Player One
2 - Firefight
3 - The Martian
4 - Okay For Now
5 - Star Wars: Dark Disciple
Favorite Songs (see playlist on side):
I loved Twenty One Pilots new album as well as Imagine Dragons. I probably could put more than 2 from each of those, but I didn't.
- Stressed Out - Twenty One Pilots
- Tear in my Heart - Twenty One Pilots
- Gold - Imagine Dragons
- I'm So Sorry - Imagine Dragons
- Good For You - Selena Gomez
- New Americana - Halsey
- Gooey - Glass Animals
- Lean On - Major Lazer, etc.
- Can't Deny My Love - Brandon Flowers
- Renegades - X-Ambassadors
Favorite Meal - first dinner in Jerusalem with Tevia at a small street vendor on a cold evening. So good.
Favorite TV Show: Didn't see many, so I'd say it's still Arrow since that is about the only show I watched.
Favorite Concert: Imagine Dragons (fun with Kathy, Jimmy, Cari)
Fun year!
Bret's 2015
2015 was an amazing year. As I looked back at what happened, I can't believe how much I did this year. Here are some of the highlights:
- A trip to Israel. This was a definite highlight as I have always wanted to go to Jerusalem. And my work gave me the opportunity to go - and so we decided to have Tevia come by, too. It was an amazing (though quick!) trip. And a great spiritual experience.
- Peru/Machu Picchu. We had been planning this trip for over a year and it was wonderful. This was another on my top 5 list (along with Israel), so I was able to scratch two off of my top 5 list this year! Being there with Tevia and her family made it even more fun.
- Quick anniversary trip to Mexico. Since we had so many other trips, our anniversary trip was scaled down. We went to Rocky Point just the two of us for the first time. And it was amazing. So fun and easy.
- Trip to London. I hadn't been to London for a while so it was fun to go back and work there for a week. One highlight was watching "Wicked".
- New work experience. I was asked to go on a new client this year that has been challenging and fun. It was a good time to get a change and I have been able to create a great team that is innovative, creative, and fun.
- Hiking the Grand Canyon. Tevia wanted me to join her this year on the rim-to-rim hike on the Grand Canyon. This was a great experience, though very tough. It was a beautiful trip and gave a great sense of satisfaction after hiking 24 miles in one day up and down the canyon.
- Star Wars. Having waited years for the next Star Wars movie, our entire family was ready for it this December. I was happy to have my expectations met - and even exceeded. We had fun going to the midnight showing and let the boys bring some friends, too. (we've seen it a couple of times afterwards, too)
Let's hope 2016 is just as fun.
- A trip to Israel. This was a definite highlight as I have always wanted to go to Jerusalem. And my work gave me the opportunity to go - and so we decided to have Tevia come by, too. It was an amazing (though quick!) trip. And a great spiritual experience.
- Peru/Machu Picchu. We had been planning this trip for over a year and it was wonderful. This was another on my top 5 list (along with Israel), so I was able to scratch two off of my top 5 list this year! Being there with Tevia and her family made it even more fun.
- Quick anniversary trip to Mexico. Since we had so many other trips, our anniversary trip was scaled down. We went to Rocky Point just the two of us for the first time. And it was amazing. So fun and easy.
- Trip to London. I hadn't been to London for a while so it was fun to go back and work there for a week. One highlight was watching "Wicked".
- New work experience. I was asked to go on a new client this year that has been challenging and fun. It was a good time to get a change and I have been able to create a great team that is innovative, creative, and fun.
- Hiking the Grand Canyon. Tevia wanted me to join her this year on the rim-to-rim hike on the Grand Canyon. This was a great experience, though very tough. It was a beautiful trip and gave a great sense of satisfaction after hiking 24 miles in one day up and down the canyon.
- Star Wars. Having waited years for the next Star Wars movie, our entire family was ready for it this December. I was happy to have my expectations met - and even exceeded. We had fun going to the midnight showing and let the boys bring some friends, too. (we've seen it a couple of times afterwards, too)
Let's hope 2016 is just as fun.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Grand Canyon Hike 2015
A couple of years ago Tevia hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim with her dad and brother. It's a tough hike. Nearly 25 miles long and a big change in elevation. She trained for weeks and after the hike, though she was quite sore, she loved it. She was so happy and couldn't wait to do it again. "And next time I want to do it with you" she said. So the plan began to take shape.
We decided this summer would work well and she invited a few others to participate. In order to do the hike without getting into too much pain you do have to train. So Tevia and I started training weeks ago. Hikes on the weekend, walks around the park in the mornings and evenings, etc. I hike quite a bit, but 25 miles is a big difference from the 3 - 4 miles I would normally do on a weekend.
I think I prepared pretty well. So Friday we headed up to Flagstaff with Millie in tow to meet up with Tevia's parents and her brother Brandt (Toast). We then all jumped into our van and drove up to the North Rim. The plan was to have us stay the night and leave early Saturday morning towards the South Rim. Tevia's mom would be so nice as to drive the 5 hours to the South Rim while we were hiking.
As an interesting side note, our Stake President and 2nd Counselor had told us they wanted to do rim-to-rim as well. In the end they ended up doing the same day as us! Talk about crazy. So we helped them the night before park their car near the trailhead as they were having someone hiking from the other side to get their car. They would meet each other on the trail and swap keys. We got to see them quite often during our hike, which was very fun.
Last time Tevia had camped and I had thought it a better idea to get a hotel/cabin so we could be warmer, sleep better, and not have to worry about packing the tent. We could just get up and go. I liked my idea. Our cabin was small and in our cabin it was just Tevia and I and Millie. I didn't sleep much as I was excited and had some Dr. Pepper on the drive up. We woke up around 5 to get ready and met at the van at 5:30 AM and then Tevia's mom dropped us off at the trailhead. I'd say it was a brisk 45 or so - not nearly as cold as last time according to Tevia. This was nice as you want to pack as little as possible. When you know the temperature at the bottom will be 100+ degrees, packing down a coat doesn't sound fun. So I had just a long sleeve compression shirt and two leg sleeves which kept me warm enough for the first few miles before it began to warm up.
Tevia and I brought our Fitbits (gotta get those miles/steps!) and our phones with Endomondo on to track our distance. So every mile it would update us on how quickly we did the last mile. This was great at first as we knew the pace we wanted to go (not so great at the end). We had loaded up on carbs the day before which seemed to really help me. We had breakfast burritos for breakfast (while we hiked) and had plenty of water and other snacks; more than I ended up needing.
At the bottom we stopped for lunch at Phantom Ranch. This is not technically the half-way point for distance, but for time it basically is because after that it is all uphill. We had green chili burritos (made by Tevia's mom) which were great. I then changed my shirts and soaked my feet for a bit in the river. Most of the way down you follow a small river down the canyon until it reaches the Colorado. During lunch we chatted a bit with our friends from our church. We ran into a few others from our stake as well. The trail was pretty busy; busier than last time according to Tevia. At Phantom Ranch it was standing room only as all the tables were occupied.
We then began the hike up. It is only about 10 miles from Phantom Ranch, so mentally it seems that you are more than half-way (which you are looking at miles). But eventually that walking up the canyon starts to drag. I did pretty good until about 4.5 mile from the top. I didn't really have any sore muscles and no blisters. My feet felt good. But I was getting tired of drinking and eating. But I forced myself to keep doing it. We had brought some chocolate milks, which I think were lifesavers for me. At this point it really becomes a mental game. You have to avoid looking up or it really gets discouraging. Your feet don't want to go up anymore. My neck actually got a little sore just from looking down at the ground for so many hours.
Our goal was to get out before 12 hours. We left before 6, so the goal was to get out before 6. At about mile 3 to the end we stopped at one of the water holes and at this point I could smell the finish line. I got a good burst of energy and honestly could have really pounded it out quickly. But some of the others in our group weren't past their walls yet. In the end Tevia and I separated ahead of the group. We made it out a little before 5 PM. It was amazing to look back and see the Grand Canyon and know that you just walked that. You can't even see the buildings on the other side. There is a feeling of accomplishment and almost euphoria. People would sit on the top and clap as people made their way out. Some of these people were really struggling. And it was awesome to see the people cheer as they made their way out. For me, this was the coolest part. It touched my heart and made me think of a few things. Here are some of my musings along the long hike. I compared the hike to our lives.
1. The hike reminded me of life. The first part is great. It is fairly easy. It's downhill. People (parents/family) take care of you. You have time to look around and enjoy the beauty of the earth. At some point it starts to get hard. Whether we bring this on ourselves or if it is just part of life; it gets harder. Stress, jobs, heartache take place in our lives. It begins to feel more uphill. Sometimes the end seems so out of reach. It seems so easy to give up. Sometimes we just have to close our eyes and take the next step. We can't think of the future. We just have to "go".
At one point we passed an older gentleman who was quite a bit overweight. He was using his hiking poles and literally taking 12 inch steps every time he moved; slowly, but deliberately. I smiled as I passed him and asked if he was okay. He responded, with a smile, "I just keep saying to myself that in 2 hours I'll have a beer in my hand!" That was keeping him going. He had a goal. It was motivating. His reply gave me some motivation, too. I loved his reply and realized we all need goals to make it to the top. Whether we do our lives for our loved ones (spouse, kids, friends) or some other reason, if we don't have that in our lives, life kinda sucks. And many people, unfortunately, don't have something to live for. I am blessed that I do.
2. To continue on that theme, the other cool part was on the hike out there are a lot of switchbacks. This means you can see people that are 10 or 15 minutes ahead of you hiking on the trails above you. During the last few miles I would often look up and see two men wearing bright yellow and green shirts. It was our Stake President and his counselor. Just seeing them keep going was motivating to me. I knew they were in pain and feeling the same way I did; but they kept going. It was a literal moment where I could look up to church leaders and they provided me motivation and inspiration just by continuing to move one step at a time. As leaders we should remember this. We don't always have to inspire by being clever or wise or spiritual. We often can inspire by just doing.
3. My favorite part was seeing people get hugs and praise from family and friends as they reached the top. There was a church group in green shirts that had quite a large group of hikers. As each one reached the top they would hear shouts of joy and hugs and love. I couldn't help but imagine that this is what it will be like as we finish our lives. After Tevia and I reached the top we found her mom and then the three of us watched the trail just hoping to see the others in our group. When we did we yelled and waved and hoped to inspire them. I didn't think much about the pain in my legs or how I really wanted to just lay down; but I wanted to see them. I think when we reach that point we will likely have a similar reaction. Even if we don't have family or friends there; Jesus will be there to embrace us. He'll know what we've been through and he'll be so happy to see us finish. And I imagine that love and embrace will wash away all of our hard memories and trials. We'll forget how hard some of those moments were. And we'll have that sense of accomplishment. Some of us may get out sooner; some may take a long time - but we'll all make it out. And we'll look back and say "I did that! I finished the journey."
Like the trek we did this year (and a few years ago), I think it is great for us to do hard things. It changes our perception. This trip didn't just give me a sense of accomplishment and an opportunity to see one of the most beautiful creations on earth, but I did it with loved ones and in the end I emerged at the top holding the hand of God's greatest gift to me: my best friend and wife. And I hope that is how we can finish the grander journey we are both on, too.
We decided this summer would work well and she invited a few others to participate. In order to do the hike without getting into too much pain you do have to train. So Tevia and I started training weeks ago. Hikes on the weekend, walks around the park in the mornings and evenings, etc. I hike quite a bit, but 25 miles is a big difference from the 3 - 4 miles I would normally do on a weekend.
I think I prepared pretty well. So Friday we headed up to Flagstaff with Millie in tow to meet up with Tevia's parents and her brother Brandt (Toast). We then all jumped into our van and drove up to the North Rim. The plan was to have us stay the night and leave early Saturday morning towards the South Rim. Tevia's mom would be so nice as to drive the 5 hours to the South Rim while we were hiking.
As an interesting side note, our Stake President and 2nd Counselor had told us they wanted to do rim-to-rim as well. In the end they ended up doing the same day as us! Talk about crazy. So we helped them the night before park their car near the trailhead as they were having someone hiking from the other side to get their car. They would meet each other on the trail and swap keys. We got to see them quite often during our hike, which was very fun.
Last time Tevia had camped and I had thought it a better idea to get a hotel/cabin so we could be warmer, sleep better, and not have to worry about packing the tent. We could just get up and go. I liked my idea. Our cabin was small and in our cabin it was just Tevia and I and Millie. I didn't sleep much as I was excited and had some Dr. Pepper on the drive up. We woke up around 5 to get ready and met at the van at 5:30 AM and then Tevia's mom dropped us off at the trailhead. I'd say it was a brisk 45 or so - not nearly as cold as last time according to Tevia. This was nice as you want to pack as little as possible. When you know the temperature at the bottom will be 100+ degrees, packing down a coat doesn't sound fun. So I had just a long sleeve compression shirt and two leg sleeves which kept me warm enough for the first few miles before it began to warm up.
Tevia and I brought our Fitbits (gotta get those miles/steps!) and our phones with Endomondo on to track our distance. So every mile it would update us on how quickly we did the last mile. This was great at first as we knew the pace we wanted to go (not so great at the end). We had loaded up on carbs the day before which seemed to really help me. We had breakfast burritos for breakfast (while we hiked) and had plenty of water and other snacks; more than I ended up needing.
At the bottom we stopped for lunch at Phantom Ranch. This is not technically the half-way point for distance, but for time it basically is because after that it is all uphill. We had green chili burritos (made by Tevia's mom) which were great. I then changed my shirts and soaked my feet for a bit in the river. Most of the way down you follow a small river down the canyon until it reaches the Colorado. During lunch we chatted a bit with our friends from our church. We ran into a few others from our stake as well. The trail was pretty busy; busier than last time according to Tevia. At Phantom Ranch it was standing room only as all the tables were occupied.
We then began the hike up. It is only about 10 miles from Phantom Ranch, so mentally it seems that you are more than half-way (which you are looking at miles). But eventually that walking up the canyon starts to drag. I did pretty good until about 4.5 mile from the top. I didn't really have any sore muscles and no blisters. My feet felt good. But I was getting tired of drinking and eating. But I forced myself to keep doing it. We had brought some chocolate milks, which I think were lifesavers for me. At this point it really becomes a mental game. You have to avoid looking up or it really gets discouraging. Your feet don't want to go up anymore. My neck actually got a little sore just from looking down at the ground for so many hours.
Our goal was to get out before 12 hours. We left before 6, so the goal was to get out before 6. At about mile 3 to the end we stopped at one of the water holes and at this point I could smell the finish line. I got a good burst of energy and honestly could have really pounded it out quickly. But some of the others in our group weren't past their walls yet. In the end Tevia and I separated ahead of the group. We made it out a little before 5 PM. It was amazing to look back and see the Grand Canyon and know that you just walked that. You can't even see the buildings on the other side. There is a feeling of accomplishment and almost euphoria. People would sit on the top and clap as people made their way out. Some of these people were really struggling. And it was awesome to see the people cheer as they made their way out. For me, this was the coolest part. It touched my heart and made me think of a few things. Here are some of my musings along the long hike. I compared the hike to our lives.
1. The hike reminded me of life. The first part is great. It is fairly easy. It's downhill. People (parents/family) take care of you. You have time to look around and enjoy the beauty of the earth. At some point it starts to get hard. Whether we bring this on ourselves or if it is just part of life; it gets harder. Stress, jobs, heartache take place in our lives. It begins to feel more uphill. Sometimes the end seems so out of reach. It seems so easy to give up. Sometimes we just have to close our eyes and take the next step. We can't think of the future. We just have to "go".
At one point we passed an older gentleman who was quite a bit overweight. He was using his hiking poles and literally taking 12 inch steps every time he moved; slowly, but deliberately. I smiled as I passed him and asked if he was okay. He responded, with a smile, "I just keep saying to myself that in 2 hours I'll have a beer in my hand!" That was keeping him going. He had a goal. It was motivating. His reply gave me some motivation, too. I loved his reply and realized we all need goals to make it to the top. Whether we do our lives for our loved ones (spouse, kids, friends) or some other reason, if we don't have that in our lives, life kinda sucks. And many people, unfortunately, don't have something to live for. I am blessed that I do.
2. To continue on that theme, the other cool part was on the hike out there are a lot of switchbacks. This means you can see people that are 10 or 15 minutes ahead of you hiking on the trails above you. During the last few miles I would often look up and see two men wearing bright yellow and green shirts. It was our Stake President and his counselor. Just seeing them keep going was motivating to me. I knew they were in pain and feeling the same way I did; but they kept going. It was a literal moment where I could look up to church leaders and they provided me motivation and inspiration just by continuing to move one step at a time. As leaders we should remember this. We don't always have to inspire by being clever or wise or spiritual. We often can inspire by just doing.
3. My favorite part was seeing people get hugs and praise from family and friends as they reached the top. There was a church group in green shirts that had quite a large group of hikers. As each one reached the top they would hear shouts of joy and hugs and love. I couldn't help but imagine that this is what it will be like as we finish our lives. After Tevia and I reached the top we found her mom and then the three of us watched the trail just hoping to see the others in our group. When we did we yelled and waved and hoped to inspire them. I didn't think much about the pain in my legs or how I really wanted to just lay down; but I wanted to see them. I think when we reach that point we will likely have a similar reaction. Even if we don't have family or friends there; Jesus will be there to embrace us. He'll know what we've been through and he'll be so happy to see us finish. And I imagine that love and embrace will wash away all of our hard memories and trials. We'll forget how hard some of those moments were. And we'll have that sense of accomplishment. Some of us may get out sooner; some may take a long time - but we'll all make it out. And we'll look back and say "I did that! I finished the journey."
Like the trek we did this year (and a few years ago), I think it is great for us to do hard things. It changes our perception. This trip didn't just give me a sense of accomplishment and an opportunity to see one of the most beautiful creations on earth, but I did it with loved ones and in the end I emerged at the top holding the hand of God's greatest gift to me: my best friend and wife. And I hope that is how we can finish the grander journey we are both on, too.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Summer 2015
It has been a long time since I updated this blog. But I had some time and thought it would be good to post what happened this summer. It has been a great year. Time is passing quickly. We are very blessed.
- Jarek was ordained a priest a few weeks ago now that he is 16. How amazing for him and we are so blessed to have a son who is worthy of such an accomplishment. He is a great example.
- Trip to Peru. Tevia documented this quite well on her blog. We had a chance to go to Peru and visit Machu Picchu and Lima. We went with Tevia's parents and Risa and Jacob and Millie Webb. It was so much fun and amazing. I feel like I've been able to go to so many cool places.
- Job. My job is going well. I have a new client and it has given me the opportunity to build a new team and really find some amazing talent. I also was able to bring in an old friend who has been such an asset to us. I am enjoying waking up and being challenged and working with great people. I have had to travel a lot, but most of my trips are quick ones to California, so not too bad.
- Church. I was set apart as Elders Quorum President this summer. It has been a great opportunity. I feel like we have made a difference in the ward and my counselors are fantastic. They have to do a lot as I travel a lot. Our numbers have gone up; so that is good to see.
- Hiking. I have been hiking a lot to train for our upcoming hike of the Grand Canyon - Rim to Rim - this weekend. It has been hiking more with Tevia and enjoying the outdoors here in Phoenix. I love hiking. Even when I go by myself, I enjoy it.
- Family. The kids are all doing great. They had a very full summer and are back in school doing wonderful as usual. Great grades, great attitudes, and great people. Not sure how Tevia and I were blessed with such good kids. It must be Tevia.
That's about it for now. I'm excited for the fall with some more global travels and the Grand Canyon hike and our Mexico trip! Can't wait.
- Jarek was ordained a priest a few weeks ago now that he is 16. How amazing for him and we are so blessed to have a son who is worthy of such an accomplishment. He is a great example.
- Trip to Peru. Tevia documented this quite well on her blog. We had a chance to go to Peru and visit Machu Picchu and Lima. We went with Tevia's parents and Risa and Jacob and Millie Webb. It was so much fun and amazing. I feel like I've been able to go to so many cool places.
- Job. My job is going well. I have a new client and it has given me the opportunity to build a new team and really find some amazing talent. I also was able to bring in an old friend who has been such an asset to us. I am enjoying waking up and being challenged and working with great people. I have had to travel a lot, but most of my trips are quick ones to California, so not too bad.
- Church. I was set apart as Elders Quorum President this summer. It has been a great opportunity. I feel like we have made a difference in the ward and my counselors are fantastic. They have to do a lot as I travel a lot. Our numbers have gone up; so that is good to see.
- Hiking. I have been hiking a lot to train for our upcoming hike of the Grand Canyon - Rim to Rim - this weekend. It has been hiking more with Tevia and enjoying the outdoors here in Phoenix. I love hiking. Even when I go by myself, I enjoy it.
- Family. The kids are all doing great. They had a very full summer and are back in school doing wonderful as usual. Great grades, great attitudes, and great people. Not sure how Tevia and I were blessed with such good kids. It must be Tevia.
That's about it for now. I'm excited for the fall with some more global travels and the Grand Canyon hike and our Mexico trip! Can't wait.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Prayer
I have been pondering about prayer for a few months now: the purpose, the prayer roll in the temple, and a few other deep doctrinal stuff. I wish I had a few hours with all my kids and I add Ralph to that list, to discuss this mesmerizing subject.
As I am going through books on our bookshelves, I ran across an old book titled "Prayer".I currently am glancing through and sifting out books- Do I really want to keep this one?
So I decided to do a read though of this particular book. It is full of interesting, inspiring and valuable information.
I have always prayed. I am grateful for parents who taught me to pray. I am grateful for the chance to learn to change who I pray to and how.
I want to thank Jarek for typing up my 1967 & 1968 diary. I love reading the subjects I use to pray for.
These entries are now on Google docs.
1967 was the year I tried to go to mass and receive communion every day. I was 13. I certainly had a spiritual pull. I would write in my diary what I prayed for that day.
As Jarek told me, the majority of the time it was for my father. Some were almost comical, 'all the sins in Cleveland'. Many were for Peace,
This good habit of praying daily has stayed with me my entire life. I never miss a morning or evening prayer. Dad and I do morning prayers together now also, which has been most rewarding.
I have received many answers to prayers, and have been generously rewarded for that continual communication.
I had and still have a great desire to know the mysteries of God, and He is continually teaching me.
There is nothing like that pure joy we get when we feel the spirit during a sincere prayer.
As I am going through books on our bookshelves, I ran across an old book titled "Prayer".I currently am glancing through and sifting out books- Do I really want to keep this one?
So I decided to do a read though of this particular book. It is full of interesting, inspiring and valuable information.
I have always prayed. I am grateful for parents who taught me to pray. I am grateful for the chance to learn to change who I pray to and how.
I want to thank Jarek for typing up my 1967 & 1968 diary. I love reading the subjects I use to pray for.
These entries are now on Google docs.
1967 was the year I tried to go to mass and receive communion every day. I was 13. I certainly had a spiritual pull. I would write in my diary what I prayed for that day.
As Jarek told me, the majority of the time it was for my father. Some were almost comical, 'all the sins in Cleveland'. Many were for Peace,
This good habit of praying daily has stayed with me my entire life. I never miss a morning or evening prayer. Dad and I do morning prayers together now also, which has been most rewarding.
I have received many answers to prayers, and have been generously rewarded for that continual communication.
I had and still have a great desire to know the mysteries of God, and He is continually teaching me.
There is nothing like that pure joy we get when we feel the spirit during a sincere prayer.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Fathers Day 2015
On this Father's Day I can't help but be grateful for the opportunity to be a father. I love being a husband and father - and love my three boys. They bring me untold joy and keep me on the right path. In a day when fathers seem to be going extinct and society seems to hold them in less regard (even though evidence continues to point out the value of a father), I am grateful to receive the blessings of a father.
I never knew my biological father, but that void was replaced when my mother remarried and brought a father back into our home. I have never felt like I was cheated because my biological father was not there because of that.
So to all of you fathers that I know, thanks for being a dad. And to the fathers of my nieces and nephews, thank you for staying involved in their lives. And for those who may not be fathers, you can still have an impact on a child by showing them your love and guidance.
I never knew my biological father, but that void was replaced when my mother remarried and brought a father back into our home. I have never felt like I was cheated because my biological father was not there because of that.
So to all of you fathers that I know, thanks for being a dad. And to the fathers of my nieces and nephews, thank you for staying involved in their lives. And for those who may not be fathers, you can still have an impact on a child by showing them your love and guidance.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Sixty-One
Just like everyone else says, I certainly don't feel 61. Sometime my body reminds me that it is that old, but my soul feels quite young.
I had Coney Island on my bucket list before we leave NY, and dad had Freedom Tower. Dad had one more personal choice day he had to take before July, so we combined it all to make one fabulous day. We took the train and subways so it would be less stressful for dad. I can report that we figured it all out by ourselves, and never got lost. I love the train ride down along the river. We took the subway to Freedom Tower, so about 2 hours to there. We had bought our tickets on line, and went up to the top.
Dad will say this was the best part of the day. They did a fabulous job on the structure, architecture, and technology. The elevator takes 48 seconds to go all the way to the top. It displays an amazing video all around you as you ascend. Pretty cool. My only critique was that there was no where to sit- in line or in a short movie or even at the top. I think they want people to move around quickly. It took an hour in all, but was a lot of standing still, so my back did start to complain. It was supposed to be cloudy, but I got birthday bonuses all day, and it was sunny and we could see forever.
We ate at the same exact pizza place where Bret's Family and I ate lat year. The pizza was fantastic. I took a pic and sent it to Tevia to see if she recognized the spot.
The only one sad thing about the entire day was when I went to take photos, my camera said low battery. I had to use my phone. I don't think it takes good pics, and I don't know if I can take them off of the phone. So I only took a few. Kathy and Tevia would have been in shock. There was so much to photograph on this memorable day.
Then we took the subway all the way down to Coney Ialand. Now, I had heard a lot of negative things about it when I told people I was going, but it wasn't so bad, First of all, school is not out yet here, so it was not that crowded. Secondly, it was not too awful hot.
We found some gelato, and I got cinnamon and dark chocolate. Yummy!
We walked down to the beach and waded. It was sunny by then, and we wished we had our swim suits on. The beach we larger than we expected, and we saw a few crabs in the water. It cooked us and we relaxed on the sand for awhile until the sun felt too hot.
We then rode the famous carousal. It is a bit different than most. It does not keep going around, but stops, and your cart swings and glides along a track about 5 ft long. Kinda fun. It was pretty to see the entire park, and the ocean. I loved it.
I would say that if it was really hot and sunny, and crowded, the place would not have been so fun.
It is a small, Brooklyn area type of place, noting like Cedar Point, but fun to see.
We were giving points when we saw extraordinary things, like an eagle- which I saw fly right past my window as soon as we got on the train.
That was fun.
I always brings singles to give to people performing in the subway. The first guy was a violinist. He was really good and came onto our subway car.
Dad was reading all the signs in the subway, and inside there was a sign saying,"the poles are for your protection and safety, and not for performances." He kind of just brushed it off, Well, our next performance was a young black guy, about 16, who did an act on the poles! He was hinging upside down, jumping around, dancing to crazy music, and doing a hat and shoe trick. It was pretty entertaining.
We left home at 8, and got home at 7, shorter time than we had expected. I wore my knee brace all day, and it did good until the last hour or so.
From Coney Island to our house via train and subway,= 3 hours. Not bad, It was relaxing.
A very good birthday!
I had Coney Island on my bucket list before we leave NY, and dad had Freedom Tower. Dad had one more personal choice day he had to take before July, so we combined it all to make one fabulous day. We took the train and subways so it would be less stressful for dad. I can report that we figured it all out by ourselves, and never got lost. I love the train ride down along the river. We took the subway to Freedom Tower, so about 2 hours to there. We had bought our tickets on line, and went up to the top.
Dad will say this was the best part of the day. They did a fabulous job on the structure, architecture, and technology. The elevator takes 48 seconds to go all the way to the top. It displays an amazing video all around you as you ascend. Pretty cool. My only critique was that there was no where to sit- in line or in a short movie or even at the top. I think they want people to move around quickly. It took an hour in all, but was a lot of standing still, so my back did start to complain. It was supposed to be cloudy, but I got birthday bonuses all day, and it was sunny and we could see forever.
We ate at the same exact pizza place where Bret's Family and I ate lat year. The pizza was fantastic. I took a pic and sent it to Tevia to see if she recognized the spot.
The only one sad thing about the entire day was when I went to take photos, my camera said low battery. I had to use my phone. I don't think it takes good pics, and I don't know if I can take them off of the phone. So I only took a few. Kathy and Tevia would have been in shock. There was so much to photograph on this memorable day.
Then we took the subway all the way down to Coney Ialand. Now, I had heard a lot of negative things about it when I told people I was going, but it wasn't so bad, First of all, school is not out yet here, so it was not that crowded. Secondly, it was not too awful hot.
We found some gelato, and I got cinnamon and dark chocolate. Yummy!
We walked down to the beach and waded. It was sunny by then, and we wished we had our swim suits on. The beach we larger than we expected, and we saw a few crabs in the water. It cooked us and we relaxed on the sand for awhile until the sun felt too hot.
We then rode the famous carousal. It is a bit different than most. It does not keep going around, but stops, and your cart swings and glides along a track about 5 ft long. Kinda fun. It was pretty to see the entire park, and the ocean. I loved it.
I would say that if it was really hot and sunny, and crowded, the place would not have been so fun.
It is a small, Brooklyn area type of place, noting like Cedar Point, but fun to see.
We were giving points when we saw extraordinary things, like an eagle- which I saw fly right past my window as soon as we got on the train.
That was fun.
I always brings singles to give to people performing in the subway. The first guy was a violinist. He was really good and came onto our subway car.
Dad was reading all the signs in the subway, and inside there was a sign saying,"the poles are for your protection and safety, and not for performances." He kind of just brushed it off, Well, our next performance was a young black guy, about 16, who did an act on the poles! He was hinging upside down, jumping around, dancing to crazy music, and doing a hat and shoe trick. It was pretty entertaining.
We left home at 8, and got home at 7, shorter time than we had expected. I wore my knee brace all day, and it did good until the last hour or so.
From Coney Island to our house via train and subway,= 3 hours. Not bad, It was relaxing.
A very good birthday!
Monday, June 08, 2015
Birthday 2015
On my birthday this year I woke up early to head off to basketball like I do so many mornings over the past decade. I bought myself a new basketball on Saturday as a birthday present to me since my older one was starting to peel and was needing a replacement. We had 20 people show up this morning - maybe they heard it was my birthday. If so, they should have known I would have rather had less people show up - 10 -12 is ideal. =)
Last year I turned 40. It was hard to believe as in my mind that seems so old, but in reality I don't feel very old. I have been blessed with great health and a body that continues to provide me the ability to do the active things I love like basketball, tennis, hiking and more. In the last year I was able to travel to Israel, Ireland, New York, Mexico and Utah and a few other places. For the most part it was a healthy year. I don't recall being sick once - except for when I got a kidney stone (not sure if that counts as being sick, but I do recall that it wasn't fun!).
I am fortunate to be married to the same woman I fell in love with nearly 20 years ago. I've almost been with her half of my years on earth. What a blessing. She still is beautiful and such a wonderful mother. She has raised three amazing boys who act as examples to me and bring me joy every day. They are turning into men, which is difficult to watch and scary as I know soon they will venture into the big world. But they will be ready.
As I sit here and ponder why I have been blessed so much and think about this world and its purpose in our lives, I can't help but smile and be content. Just two years ago I was struggling with a job that I did not enjoy and found little satisfaction in. And now I have a job that brings me happiness and fulfillment. As I try hard to fill the role of Elders Quorum President, my biggest inspiration is helping the men in our ward feel that we should be here for each other. That happiness comes from within - and God loves us and we should love each other. I can see in people's eyes that there is doubt there; and doubt brings pain and fear.
Birthdays are so fun when you are young and so passing as you get old. I tend to focus on smaller things now; things that will bring just small bits of joy. Like buying strawberry nesquik this morning since that is what sounded good. Tonight we'll have Dairy Queen cake: still my favorite birthday treat.
Not long ago, most men in the world were lucky to live much longer than 40. Today, unless something unexpected happens, I could easily expect to live another 40 years. It seems incredible. I may not have even lived half my life. But that is great. I wouldn't mind filling the next 40 years with trips to Mexico, Lake Powell, and have the opportunity to see more of this beautiful earth God has created for us.
If I have any wisdom to pass on, it is to live life each day at a time. Our two older boys have kinda forced this perspective onto us. And truly it has been a blessing.
Last year I turned 40. It was hard to believe as in my mind that seems so old, but in reality I don't feel very old. I have been blessed with great health and a body that continues to provide me the ability to do the active things I love like basketball, tennis, hiking and more. In the last year I was able to travel to Israel, Ireland, New York, Mexico and Utah and a few other places. For the most part it was a healthy year. I don't recall being sick once - except for when I got a kidney stone (not sure if that counts as being sick, but I do recall that it wasn't fun!).
I am fortunate to be married to the same woman I fell in love with nearly 20 years ago. I've almost been with her half of my years on earth. What a blessing. She still is beautiful and such a wonderful mother. She has raised three amazing boys who act as examples to me and bring me joy every day. They are turning into men, which is difficult to watch and scary as I know soon they will venture into the big world. But they will be ready.
As I sit here and ponder why I have been blessed so much and think about this world and its purpose in our lives, I can't help but smile and be content. Just two years ago I was struggling with a job that I did not enjoy and found little satisfaction in. And now I have a job that brings me happiness and fulfillment. As I try hard to fill the role of Elders Quorum President, my biggest inspiration is helping the men in our ward feel that we should be here for each other. That happiness comes from within - and God loves us and we should love each other. I can see in people's eyes that there is doubt there; and doubt brings pain and fear.
Birthdays are so fun when you are young and so passing as you get old. I tend to focus on smaller things now; things that will bring just small bits of joy. Like buying strawberry nesquik this morning since that is what sounded good. Tonight we'll have Dairy Queen cake: still my favorite birthday treat.
Not long ago, most men in the world were lucky to live much longer than 40. Today, unless something unexpected happens, I could easily expect to live another 40 years. It seems incredible. I may not have even lived half my life. But that is great. I wouldn't mind filling the next 40 years with trips to Mexico, Lake Powell, and have the opportunity to see more of this beautiful earth God has created for us.
If I have any wisdom to pass on, it is to live life each day at a time. Our two older boys have kinda forced this perspective onto us. And truly it has been a blessing.
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