We've now moved 4 loads over to the new house and a couple of things are becoming obvious: 1) we have a lot of stuff, and 2) we're going to really like being in the new house. It's an exciting week because we've been looking forward to it for a long time, but it also comes with a small/medium amount of stress as I think about getting everything moved by the end of the week. It's nice that it's so close.
The kids have been really enjoying their active summer. They're all loving and doing well at their tennis and swim team, which is great for us to see. They're also enjoying frequent park and friend time, and playing well with each other most of the time. Morgan lost another tooth in her sleep last night - I barely even knew it was getting loose... Micah's a little worried that Morgan losing teeth too fast and that before long she's not going to have any left. The girls have also been enjoying "So You Think You Can Dance" on TV. Whenever they watch their comments usually include a "he needs to button his shirt!" Maybe I need to start watching...
Finally, for anyone interested in seeing some pictures of our Provo house with the furnishings, you can go to Cameron & Christine's blog.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Last Week and Forward
Hi everyone, I'm back from Zions Camp and just loving being with the family after 8 days away. What a great experience though, and I feel really blessed to have been able to go. It will be difficult to sum up the entire experience in a post, but I'll give you a summary and a rundown of some of the highlights. As I've mentioned before, this is a spiritual / high adventure camp for young men 14 and older from five Bay Area stakes. I was the only person from our ward who went for the entire week, so the lot of getting all the kids up there and back fell to me, which wasn't always fun. We got everyone up there, and everyone home safely, but it was what happened in between that was truly remarkable. I think it would be easiest for me to go day by day so I don't forget stuff...sorry if this gets long.
I was the captain of a group of ten boys, and I also had a great co-captain to help out. The boys were from all different backgrounds - some stable, good families, some broken homes, some hardened attitudes, some soft hearts.
Saturday: drive the boys up, take the scout swim check in the 57-degree lake, set up camp with military style platform tents, and have our first devotional speaker. Cold night, uncomfortable sleeping conditions, not much sleep
Sunday: I taught Priesthood to our ward boys, and it went really well as I walked them through the plan of salvation in missionary/investigator style. The bishops passed the sacrament to all the boys, and since our bishop asked me to fill in for him, I was able to do that. We had fun skits prepared by the boys that night, and then probably one of the best fireside/devotional speakers I've ever heard - a man I didn't know telling us about his conversion to the gospel and his reliance on the Spirit - VERY powerful. Another cold night, again not much sleep.
Monday: this is the crown jewel of Zions Camp - the Gospel Adventure. It's basically a walk through the mountains visiting different stations set up around the camp theme. This year's theme was the Savior, Jesus Christ. So they started us out in a simulated time machine to transport us back to biblical times. Then as we walked along a path around the beautiful lake, we came upon apostles asking us to help them fish. We gathered fish from the water with them, and then moved on to the next station, which was helping Peter pull in his fish when his nets broke. The third station was a man who was hurt, and we put him on a stretcher and carried him to an inn, where we had to pay money to let him stay there (the Good Samaritan); it was a great lesson on using money for wise and righteous purposes. The next station was the Upper Chamber and the last supper. We ate dried fish, and simulated Jesus passing the sacrament with pita bread and grape juice. The boys then washed each others' feet, and we sang a hymn before moving on. Next we saw Lazarus' tomb, and heard from him how Jesus had awakened him from the dead (as I think about it, I may be out of order a little, but you get the idea). After that, we went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Peter, James, and John were distraught about their Lord being taken away be soldiers. This was a very memorable depiction because it really portrayed the confusion and anguish they must have really felt at first, and then as they talked they portrayed the light of understanding coming to them as Jesus' words were brought back to their minds. It was very powerful. That station set the scene for the next stop, which was Peter wailing frighteningly loud that they had crucified Jesus. This was disconcerting for many of the boys, but appropriate as they really understood what this was like. The boys carried a heavy cross up a steep hill to hear from the apostle John, and then brought it back down in a very somber mood. The next stop was the tomb, where the apostles ran up after hearing that Jesus' body had been taken, and Mary and Mary Magdalene talked about hearing and seeing Jesus. In the final station, we gave the boys letters from their bishops and parents, and asked them to walk alone up the mountain, find a quiet place, read the letters, and pray. My co-captain and I went down the hill and waited in a peaceful meadow. When the boys started making their way back, we could really tell they had all had a powerful experience with the Spirit. They all had tears in their eyes, and it was obvious they had felt things that were very personal and pure. One rough-looking Samoan kid asked if we could all kneel and say a prayer, which we did, and that put a perfect cap on what was probably the most spiritual experience those boys had ever had. There were also a couple more spiritual events throughout the week, and they were extensions of the gospel adventure. One was late at night and the boys were taken quietly to a remote boat dock where a walkway had been built just below the surface of the water so they could walk on water to Jesus standing out in the water - It was amazing. Every kid I have talked to says the gospel adventure was the highlight of the week, which is saying something as you'll see next...
Tuesday-Friday: 15 mile, 3,000-ft elevation climb grueling hike (every boy reached the summit and got home despite some serious difficulties); kayaking and swimming in the lake; shooting rifles, shotguns, and archery; high COPE (basically ropes courses high up in the trees: leap of faith off a platform 50 feet up a huge tree, a traverse across one cable and some hanging ropes 50-feet high between two trees, and flying squirrel, which was the whole team lifting one team member high in the air by running away with the rope); rock climbing up sheer cliffs (using ropes of course); jet skies, boating and tubing; low COPE (team building challenges; and mountain biking. I have the bruises, scrapes, and dirt embedded in weird places to prove how intense some of these were, but they were all awesome.
We also had a couple of other good firesides, including Coach Steve Cleveland, formerly of BYU basketball and now with Fresno State. They were all good. The week ended Friday night with a testimony meeting in which a couple of kids from my ward bore very unexpected and special testimonies.
So now I'm home, and we're all together as a family again. It's SO great to be back with Angela and the kids - they're so amazing to support me in this, and I love them greatly.
This week will hold a lot of things getting back to work, and also a lot of moving in the evenings as we are moving pretty much all week. Thanks in advance to Dan and others for helping out with the move. We have great friends here who really look after each other.
Brig got a haircut on Saturday and looks very handsome. His curls were getting out of control, so it was definitely time. He sat on my lap during the cut and didn't do too badly. We're really looking forward to G&G Richards coming out for a few days around the 4th of July!
I was the captain of a group of ten boys, and I also had a great co-captain to help out. The boys were from all different backgrounds - some stable, good families, some broken homes, some hardened attitudes, some soft hearts.
Saturday: drive the boys up, take the scout swim check in the 57-degree lake, set up camp with military style platform tents, and have our first devotional speaker. Cold night, uncomfortable sleeping conditions, not much sleep
Sunday: I taught Priesthood to our ward boys, and it went really well as I walked them through the plan of salvation in missionary/investigator style. The bishops passed the sacrament to all the boys, and since our bishop asked me to fill in for him, I was able to do that. We had fun skits prepared by the boys that night, and then probably one of the best fireside/devotional speakers I've ever heard - a man I didn't know telling us about his conversion to the gospel and his reliance on the Spirit - VERY powerful. Another cold night, again not much sleep.
Monday: this is the crown jewel of Zions Camp - the Gospel Adventure. It's basically a walk through the mountains visiting different stations set up around the camp theme. This year's theme was the Savior, Jesus Christ. So they started us out in a simulated time machine to transport us back to biblical times. Then as we walked along a path around the beautiful lake, we came upon apostles asking us to help them fish. We gathered fish from the water with them, and then moved on to the next station, which was helping Peter pull in his fish when his nets broke. The third station was a man who was hurt, and we put him on a stretcher and carried him to an inn, where we had to pay money to let him stay there (the Good Samaritan); it was a great lesson on using money for wise and righteous purposes. The next station was the Upper Chamber and the last supper. We ate dried fish, and simulated Jesus passing the sacrament with pita bread and grape juice. The boys then washed each others' feet, and we sang a hymn before moving on. Next we saw Lazarus' tomb, and heard from him how Jesus had awakened him from the dead (as I think about it, I may be out of order a little, but you get the idea). After that, we went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Peter, James, and John were distraught about their Lord being taken away be soldiers. This was a very memorable depiction because it really portrayed the confusion and anguish they must have really felt at first, and then as they talked they portrayed the light of understanding coming to them as Jesus' words were brought back to their minds. It was very powerful. That station set the scene for the next stop, which was Peter wailing frighteningly loud that they had crucified Jesus. This was disconcerting for many of the boys, but appropriate as they really understood what this was like. The boys carried a heavy cross up a steep hill to hear from the apostle John, and then brought it back down in a very somber mood. The next stop was the tomb, where the apostles ran up after hearing that Jesus' body had been taken, and Mary and Mary Magdalene talked about hearing and seeing Jesus. In the final station, we gave the boys letters from their bishops and parents, and asked them to walk alone up the mountain, find a quiet place, read the letters, and pray. My co-captain and I went down the hill and waited in a peaceful meadow. When the boys started making their way back, we could really tell they had all had a powerful experience with the Spirit. They all had tears in their eyes, and it was obvious they had felt things that were very personal and pure. One rough-looking Samoan kid asked if we could all kneel and say a prayer, which we did, and that put a perfect cap on what was probably the most spiritual experience those boys had ever had. There were also a couple more spiritual events throughout the week, and they were extensions of the gospel adventure. One was late at night and the boys were taken quietly to a remote boat dock where a walkway had been built just below the surface of the water so they could walk on water to Jesus standing out in the water - It was amazing. Every kid I have talked to says the gospel adventure was the highlight of the week, which is saying something as you'll see next...
Tuesday-Friday: 15 mile, 3,000-ft elevation climb grueling hike (every boy reached the summit and got home despite some serious difficulties); kayaking and swimming in the lake; shooting rifles, shotguns, and archery; high COPE (basically ropes courses high up in the trees: leap of faith off a platform 50 feet up a huge tree, a traverse across one cable and some hanging ropes 50-feet high between two trees, and flying squirrel, which was the whole team lifting one team member high in the air by running away with the rope); rock climbing up sheer cliffs (using ropes of course); jet skies, boating and tubing; low COPE (team building challenges; and mountain biking. I have the bruises, scrapes, and dirt embedded in weird places to prove how intense some of these were, but they were all awesome.
We also had a couple of other good firesides, including Coach Steve Cleveland, formerly of BYU basketball and now with Fresno State. They were all good. The week ended Friday night with a testimony meeting in which a couple of kids from my ward bore very unexpected and special testimonies.
So now I'm home, and we're all together as a family again. It's SO great to be back with Angela and the kids - they're so amazing to support me in this, and I love them greatly.
This week will hold a lot of things getting back to work, and also a lot of moving in the evenings as we are moving pretty much all week. Thanks in advance to Dan and others for helping out with the move. We have great friends here who really look after each other.
Brig got a haircut on Saturday and looks very handsome. His curls were getting out of control, so it was definitely time. He sat on my lap during the cut and didn't do too badly. We're really looking forward to G&G Richards coming out for a few days around the 4th of July!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Going Grizzly Adams
This is my last post for a while. I leave tomorrow morning at the crack for Zion's Camp. I think I've talked about the camp before, but it's a young men's high adventure camp put on by leaders and volunteers in five local stakes, so it has a strong spiritual component to it. There are 12 teams of ~12 boys; each team has a team captain who will lead them the whole week, and a co-captain to assist and also lead. I was asked to be one of the team captains, so I'm going for the whole week. I don't know any of the boys as they're from different wards and stakes, but it should be fun. I'll give a full report when I get back ... IF, I get back ...
The kids finished school this week. They all did really well in learning their subjects and improving throughout the year. We are proud of them for being good girls. We all went over to a fun school carnival on the last day of school to celebrate the start of summer - Kennan and Micah both had particular fun being in the dunk tank (and also in throwing balls and dunking their friends).
Morgan lost another front tooth yesterday, so she's got a gaping hole in the front of her mouth. Brig is starting to walk a little more on his sore foot, but he's still very tentative and will usually crawl or scoot when he can't get someone to carry him. I think it's wearing on Angela a little bit.
I played golf with Dan yesterday morning early and we had a great time. He's fun to be around, we only wished there were more of the brothers and Dad here with us. Good news though: Mom and Dad are coming out to visit over the 4th of July, so that will be great.
Our move is coming up pretty much as soon as I get home from camp. Or to be a little more specific, the Neils leave for the MTC the day I get home, so we can occupy their house whenever we want after that. We certainly won't be ready for a full move at that time, but we have boxed up some stuff and there's always things we can start moving over piece by piece. We'll take that next week and go fast and furious to get moved into the new place. I hope I don't break a leg or something at camp... that would be bad.
Have a great weekend everyone. I'm sure Angela wouldn't mind your calling to check in throughout the week when I'm gone.
The kids finished school this week. They all did really well in learning their subjects and improving throughout the year. We are proud of them for being good girls. We all went over to a fun school carnival on the last day of school to celebrate the start of summer - Kennan and Micah both had particular fun being in the dunk tank (and also in throwing balls and dunking their friends).
Morgan lost another front tooth yesterday, so she's got a gaping hole in the front of her mouth. Brig is starting to walk a little more on his sore foot, but he's still very tentative and will usually crawl or scoot when he can't get someone to carry him. I think it's wearing on Angela a little bit.
I played golf with Dan yesterday morning early and we had a great time. He's fun to be around, we only wished there were more of the brothers and Dad here with us. Good news though: Mom and Dad are coming out to visit over the 4th of July, so that will be great.
Our move is coming up pretty much as soon as I get home from camp. Or to be a little more specific, the Neils leave for the MTC the day I get home, so we can occupy their house whenever we want after that. We certainly won't be ready for a full move at that time, but we have boxed up some stuff and there's always things we can start moving over piece by piece. We'll take that next week and go fast and furious to get moved into the new place. I hope I don't break a leg or something at camp... that would be bad.
Have a great weekend everyone. I'm sure Angela wouldn't mind your calling to check in throughout the week when I'm gone.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Swamped here...
CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRISTINE AND CAMERON FOR THE SAFE ARRIVAL OF BABY EMILIE! We're so happy for them all, and it's exciting for us to have a new cousin and niece. They also deserve a huge thanks for finishing up the Provo house and running the Parade of Homes events there. We've had good traffic, but no purchase offers... yet...?
After all the fun birthday celebrations last Friday, we were a little drained, so we didn't get too crazy with the anniversary celebrations on Saturday. I think it's ok to celebrate 14 years of marital bliss by walking around a few sports stores, buying much-needed running clothes, and then having burgers at In-N-Out with Dan & Hailey. It was heaven to be able to leave the kids with Micah and her friend, and not have to worry about them.
This week is crazy in many ways. Since I'm leaving for Zion's Camp this Saturday morning, this is my last week to prepare for our move after I get back in town. Luckily we have the whole last week of June to move, but still, there's a TON to get done. So we're packing up boxes, sorting through things we haven't seen since our last move three years ago, and generally getting ready.
It's also crazy because I have a lot to do to get ready for the camp. To explain, it's a young men's high adventure camp with a spiritual theme. I'm a team captain of 12 YM (none of whom I know), and there's a bunch of stuff I have to prepare for, like contacting all the boys and their parents, daily devotionals, a Sunday School lesson, and just gathering all my own gear. It's going to get down to freezing at night up there, so I'm preparing to be cold. Not sure what possessed me to commit to doing that for a whole week. Kind of wish I could take that one back (especially having to use a full week of vacation!). But it will be fun and hopefully I don't break a leg or have a heart attack in the 50 degree water (think scout camp swim check...uggh!).
Work is really heavy this week as well. I have two big projects going full steam right now, and it's tough to juggle them. Pretty exciting though, and I guess it's better than being bored...
And then the kids get out of school on Wednesday. They're already going to swim team workouts, and now they have parties and carnivals, and they generally want to stay up a lot later than they should. All of this would be much more fun if we didn't have to lug Brig around everywhere one of us goes - he still can't walk because of the darn foot injury, and it's driving us crazy. Unfortunately he's also become a bit whiny as he relies on us for a lot.
We're also in the middle of trying to get home owner's insurance for our Provo home, and then we'll hopefully be able to close on a mortgage this week. It takes time to get all this done, especially when we're in a different state.
We're good though...
After all the fun birthday celebrations last Friday, we were a little drained, so we didn't get too crazy with the anniversary celebrations on Saturday. I think it's ok to celebrate 14 years of marital bliss by walking around a few sports stores, buying much-needed running clothes, and then having burgers at In-N-Out with Dan & Hailey. It was heaven to be able to leave the kids with Micah and her friend, and not have to worry about them.
This week is crazy in many ways. Since I'm leaving for Zion's Camp this Saturday morning, this is my last week to prepare for our move after I get back in town. Luckily we have the whole last week of June to move, but still, there's a TON to get done. So we're packing up boxes, sorting through things we haven't seen since our last move three years ago, and generally getting ready.
It's also crazy because I have a lot to do to get ready for the camp. To explain, it's a young men's high adventure camp with a spiritual theme. I'm a team captain of 12 YM (none of whom I know), and there's a bunch of stuff I have to prepare for, like contacting all the boys and their parents, daily devotionals, a Sunday School lesson, and just gathering all my own gear. It's going to get down to freezing at night up there, so I'm preparing to be cold. Not sure what possessed me to commit to doing that for a whole week. Kind of wish I could take that one back (especially having to use a full week of vacation!). But it will be fun and hopefully I don't break a leg or have a heart attack in the 50 degree water (think scout camp swim check...uggh!).
Work is really heavy this week as well. I have two big projects going full steam right now, and it's tough to juggle them. Pretty exciting though, and I guess it's better than being bored...
And then the kids get out of school on Wednesday. They're already going to swim team workouts, and now they have parties and carnivals, and they generally want to stay up a lot later than they should. All of this would be much more fun if we didn't have to lug Brig around everywhere one of us goes - he still can't walk because of the darn foot injury, and it's driving us crazy. Unfortunately he's also become a bit whiny as he relies on us for a lot.
We're also in the middle of trying to get home owner's insurance for our Provo home, and then we'll hopefully be able to close on a mortgage this week. It takes time to get all this done, especially when we're in a different state.
We're good though...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Happy Birthday Angela!
Do you ever catch yourself just gazing at your wife thinking that, if possible, she's even more beautiful than ever, and how did you get so lucky? I do ... often. She doesn't know I still can't take my eyes off her after all these years, and she doesn't realize that she's amazing both inside and out. Her outer hotness is just enhanced by the happy, alive, outgoing soul she shares so freely with others. I was thinking last night about her group of friends that enrich her life, and it's really amazing how many people consider her a true friend. She's just that way. People react to her openness in a way that is fun to watch from an outside perspective.
I'm proud to be known as Angela's husband. There's no better designator if you truly know her, and if you see the way she lives. She brings good people to her, she stands firm for what she believes in, she thinks of others first and second and third, she delights in small moments and fun interactions, she is more critical of herself than anyone else, she's happy to give her time to those in need, she's a wonderful mother, and she's my gorgeous wife. I'm not sure when she was born 35 years ago today that her parents realized what a great person they were bringing into this world. I'm thankful that we found each other and that I'm the lucky guy who got her. I love Angela so much! Happy birthday babe.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Injuries and Concerts
Brig had a bit of an accident yesterday that required a doctor visit and x-rays on his left foot. The x-ray showed a small fracture in his metatarsal - not enough to cast, but enough that he's not supposed to walk on it for two weeks. We're not complaining about the small nuisance of having to cart him around, because it's nowhere near the same situation as Spencer & Molly, we just thought we should tell you. The good news is that he's still on track for Rugby World Cup 2031 thanks to the quick thinking of the medical staff at the doctor's office in giving him the right colored sucker.
Spencer & Molly's 3-year old son, Caleb, had a scooter accident over the weekend in which he broke his femur and is now in a body cast. We feel SO bad for him, and for his family. They've had a remarkable run of bad luck recently, which means they're probably due for some really good stuff to happen.
The girls have yet another end of year school concert tonight and tomorrow night. Some in the family are getting tired of these events, while others are being really supportive...
Spencer & Molly's 3-year old son, Caleb, had a scooter accident over the weekend in which he broke his femur and is now in a body cast. We feel SO bad for him, and for his family. They've had a remarkable run of bad luck recently, which means they're probably due for some really good stuff to happen.
The girls have yet another end of year school concert tonight and tomorrow night. Some in the family are getting tired of these events, while others are being really supportive...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Pretty Good Weekend
We took the kids (that includes Dan) on the train up to the Giants game on Saturday afternoon. It was LDS day at the Giants, and it was fun to sit in the way, way, way upper deck with many of our ward members. Unfortunately, the Giants sat most of their good players because the night before they had played a 13 inning game, and given that they're not very good even with their normal starters, you can imagine the quality of product they put on the field Saturday afternoon. It was ugly, but still pretty fun.
Another highlight was having Hailey and Preston arrive yesterday, and then having them over for dinner later in the day. It was funny to watch Brig trying to cover Preston's head with oven mitts, or other not-so-gentle toddler to baby moments. Fortunately Preston survived unscathed.
We were also very happy with reports out of Provo from the Parade of Homes. Our house seems to be showing well, and it sounds like there may be whisperings of people actually thinking of buying. Come on, Baby!!!
Ang and I both got in good runs on Saturday morning, so we were happy with that. We're both in that stage between just running to run, and actually starting to train for the marathon. Most of the training schedules out there are for 18 weeks, which puts us starting out right about now. We'll keep you posted on how we progress, or digress.
We realized last night how little time we actually have to designate solely to packing between now and our move. It's getting scary, so we're going to start dumping stuff in boxes and getting ready as much as we can whenever we have a few spare moments. Either way, we're looking forward to the move.
Some guys went up to the camp where I'm going to spend a week starting June 14th, and they reported there's still snow on the ground. What?! I'm feeling sick...
Another highlight was having Hailey and Preston arrive yesterday, and then having them over for dinner later in the day. It was funny to watch Brig trying to cover Preston's head with oven mitts, or other not-so-gentle toddler to baby moments. Fortunately Preston survived unscathed.
We were also very happy with reports out of Provo from the Parade of Homes. Our house seems to be showing well, and it sounds like there may be whisperings of people actually thinking of buying. Come on, Baby!!!
Ang and I both got in good runs on Saturday morning, so we were happy with that. We're both in that stage between just running to run, and actually starting to train for the marathon. Most of the training schedules out there are for 18 weeks, which puts us starting out right about now. We'll keep you posted on how we progress, or digress.
We realized last night how little time we actually have to designate solely to packing between now and our move. It's getting scary, so we're going to start dumping stuff in boxes and getting ready as much as we can whenever we have a few spare moments. Either way, we're looking forward to the move.
Some guys went up to the camp where I'm going to spend a week starting June 14th, and they reported there's still snow on the ground. What?! I'm feeling sick...
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