Catching up!---Summer of Bubby

It's been far too long since we have posted something on our blog and the next few (or more) posts will be for catch up.  We'll date them so they show up in chronological order (mostly) and we're starting with the Summer of Bubby.

While Kendra took a temporary job working with Brett's company last summer, Rosie was watching Everett a few day of the week and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Everett seemed to mostly appreciate it too.

With the job Rosie has been working at it has further enhanced her already awesome children skills and she always had activities for Everett to work on and we even got a few pictures of them throughout the summer to share.

I think Everett may have enjoyed time with Rosie and Rosie enjoyed having him.

Time with Bubby

Rosie has been watching Everett and having a ton of fun.  It's great seeing little ones learn and experience new things.
Rosie gave him a box today and he has loved it.  Rosie had me take a picture and I decided to imagine what a box meant to Todd and I when we were little and decided to have a little fun with it via some new software I got...
Who knows it may remind you of some of the things a box may have meant to you in the past.

Space Travel

Race Car

Winter Olympic Champion

Stupid Things...

Lately I've had my attention called to things that must be of the spirit because that is the only thing that I can think of and while I titled this post "Stupid Things"  they really aren't stupid at all but looking back at my youth I probably would have made fun of the old man crying over "stupid things."
For instance, at church over Independence Day weekend recently, for the closing hymn in sacrament we were singing Battle Hymn of the Republic and I guess either I had not paid much attention to it before, I've become more patriotic, more sensitive to these types of things, or a combination of one or more of the aforementioned reasons, but I started to tear up and coudn't continue singing the rest of the song upon my mutilation (I really can't sing well) of those profound words, "...As he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free..."  I love that line and it has stuck with me ever since and has had quite an impact on my sense of what our soldiers, as well as those of other countries, are doing overseas.  We like to say that they are fighting for our freedom but in full respect they are truly fighting to help others be free as most of our wars since the civil war have been.
The other "Stupid Thing" that caused me a fair amount of emotion is a television show that I really don't even care to watch.  Right at the end of a scene where a lawyer wins a case where Hispanic Machismo and how fathers act are talked about in some amount of detail he is asked if he wants to go out for a drink and he replies, "I'm going to take my father out for dinner."  Instantly, my mind went to what I would pay right now to be able to go out and just listen to whatever wisdom my dad was willing to impart to me over a meal.  It was all I could do to keep from sobbing.  Three years and I still miss what my will wants when His will is what matters.

Dad

I'm thankful for Mother's Days and Father's Days that help put things back in perspective again.

Dad Feb 2008

I miss him everyday, but at the same time there aren't too many that I don't feel like he's nearby helping, in a way more powerful than while he was living.  It's hard to explain but often when I'm in the yard working and I have time to just work and think, I feel his influence and guidance.

I don't remember everything I said at his funeral (probably a good reason to have written it down rather than "shoot from the hip"), but there was something I know I mentioned near the end and that was that I appreciate my dad for teaching me about what a kind and loving Heavenly Father must be like.  And on those days when I feel him near, he continues to teach me.

I love you Dad!

50 Years?!!!

I guess Rosie and I can only hope.
Rosie has made a lot of friends during her short 7+ years in AZ and many of them Rosie looks to as mother figures.  One such friend she has grown close to while serving as one of her Visiting Teachers and tonight we were invited to attend her and her husband's 50th Anniversary.  It was a great night and surprisingly we weren't as out of place as I might have expected when I first heard that we were going.
Don't get me wrong, I like the people we were there to celebrate, but I assumed the people that would be there would be family (which we are obviously not) and/or older people who we share nothing in common with (some may argue the old part).  That all said I was, for the most part, wrong.
First, I should give you and idea about what these people are like.  They were called to serve a mission somewhere in the Carribeans a number of years ago and during their farewell talks in church, Bro. White mentioned that he had always dreamed of walking an island beach with a beautiful blonde and now the Lord was answerring this AZ boys dream.  Or at least something to that affect.
While there we were able to socialize with some of the older couples from our ward who, admittedly, Rosie knows better than I do.  It was a quite enjoyable.
With all this, Bro. White got up to say a word, or so, about how thankful they were for the attendees and then began telling the story of how they met. I won't go into that too much but suffice it to say that it was a good story.  Towards the end though; and this is the part that struck me, partly for its laugh and mostly because it started me thinking about deeper things in life, he mentioned that "Marla and I have 6 kids so far...."
I happened to be sitting across the table from Marla when the comment was made and the look on her face was priceless.
Anyway it obviously got people laughing and after I got my chuckles out of the way it started me thinking about how we should always be thinking about the next big thing.
I thought about my dad and my mom and their 40th.
I thought about Rosie and I and our next big thing (or more to the point of what that might be).
I thought about discussions Rosie and I have while laying in bed talking about our relationship and intimate things.
I thought about adoption.  A lot.
Then I went and found Rosie who was sitting with the Carr's and chatting.  And again thought...

Bunnysuits

A few weeks ago I was at work and had to go out to the Intel manufacturing floor; which in the past wasn't a big deal-- you don the smock, ground straps, and some safety glasses and, once you passed the ESD grounding test, you were out on the floor.That has since changed...
With Intel products getting smaller and more susceptible to foreign materials they have changed it to wear "bunnysuits."  We're not talking the cool looking ones from the Intel ads they used to have and they take quite a bit of time to don (and doff).
This is where my story comes in.  I was on the phone with Rosie that afternoon and trying to meet up with another engineer to get him to run some stuff for an experiment I needed to complete some data collection on.  I was already behind and told Rosie, "I've got to drop now so I can put my bunnysuit on."
There was a short pause followed by hilarious laughter.  Rosie I'm sure was imagining that her husband had some Ralphie look-alike bunny suit  that he was getting ready to put on and was wondering what on earth her husband was doing with a pink floppy-ear, fuzzy-tail suit after Easter was over.  What dimented activity had he signed up for that would require such a suit and who was it that had talked him into wearing the suit because she, I'm sure, wanted to know what tactics of persuasion he/she employed so she could sign up for the elite training it must have taken to get him to volunteer for such activities.
All said, I'm sure I don't want to know what her imagination had conjured up and I certainly wouldn't have agreed to such nonsense nonetheless.  I know the impromptu stories she tells sparked by her vivid imagination.
I quickly realized the reason for the laughter nearly immediately after the words bunnysuit came out of my mouth, knowing what must enter her head without the experience of life at Intel and began trying to explain what an Intel bunnysuit was.  This didn't seem to cause the images of Ears and tales to disappear becuase I'm pretty sure she was still half laughing when we said goodbye.
For future clarification, for those who may hear me talk of such things, this is what I intended when I say, "Bunnysuit."

My bunnysuit (Man, that's a big schnozz)

The more I look at it, the more I realize, when other Intelites adorned in similar fashion aren't around, that maybe Ralphie didn't look so ridiculous.  I was beginning to convince myself that these things were almost stylish when I see everyone else dressed in these things.  I'm fairly certain people will still be laughing as much as if I just allowed them to continue thinking ears and fuzzy tail.

Happy Seventh Babe!!

I love you more than my luggage!

Signs of the Times

Saw this at a building site while Traveling in Malaysia and couldn't help but take a picture...

I think someone might need to tell them what prosecute means

Animals!!

Recently we ended up with quite the menagerie in our backyard.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but see for yourself.

The Beelining Tortroise

While driving home from work my brother, Todd, saw a tortoise crossing the road and, bless him, he had to stop and save the wee soul from getting run over.  They are widening Queen Creek Rd in Gilbert and if that tortoise was making it a habit of crossing the road, her days were numbered because it is a high traffic road and Todd was surprised to be able to find it alive when he turned around to go back for it.

She's almost there...

Well, he didn't have time to take it home because he was meeting Christina and the girls for dinner; so on his way he thought it better to drop it off at our house.  I tried finding it some vituals but it had no interest in any of that nonsense and beelined it (as much as a tortoise can beeline anything (see the story "The Tortoise and the Hare)) for our grapevines as a nice resting spot from her stress encounter.  It stayed there until Todd and Tyla came and picked her up to give her a more permanent home in their backyard, and proper name.  Tyla, the animal-lover that she is, was beaming from ear to ear and got to hold it on her lap for the drive home.

The Wee Soul

 Later that week, Rosie found this little guy in our bedroom.  I've seen plenty of Geccos in our backyard but never in our house and this looks nothing like the geccos I've seen around.  When she found it, it was quite a surprise and it gave her a good startle.  She screamed, "Bug!" and ran to me in our bathroom.  She is now educated abit more about the difference between lizards and bugs.  To her defense she only got glance of it before turning and running. 
Obviously I got to relocate it to a potted plant in our back yard, but it didn't stay there long as it was gone when I got home from work.

Time with family

Logan, Tommy, and Everett

We love spending time with family, but it is particularly more fun when the Skinners are in town and the whole fam damily gets together.  I think Everett may like it more than anyone because he likes him his Tommy and Logan.  I really love this picture that Rosie prompted me to take.

Travels

Singapore and the the path up to JB
and Melaka

What can I say, I like to travel.  I don't get a lot of opportunity for it compared to a lot of people that travel for business and that is probably why I still like it.  I like to experience other cultures and see different sites that the world has to offer, but most of all I like to taste the different foods.

Earlier this year I made the usual trip to a supplier in Malaysia (they always pick us up from Changi Airport in Singapore even though there is a samller airport in JB) but this time I got to spend more time down in Johor Bahru (JB) and I actually spent part of the weekend there which I had never had the justification to do in the past.

View from my room

The supplier there takes pretty good care of us and has an agreement with the local resort that they tell us to use for a really good rate (~$60 per night) and since Intel has no qualified hotel in the area we typically stay at that resort.  The area is very tropical and really pretty.  They have a golf course I would like to play on some day and as you would expect it is beautiful as well.  I've heard the cost of playing it is fairly inexpensive and my plan was to give it a try on the Saturday that I was there with some rented clubs, but the supplier I was visiting had other ideas.



View of Golf Course
from my Room

A couple of the guys I have developed pretty good relationships with at the supplier I was visiting took personal time from their weekend to take me to the famous old time port city of Melaka though it's not really a port city any more because of the development of Singapore, to the south, and Penang, to the north, years go. On the way we stopped at the local zoo and walked around for a while and I got to snap a few pictures.

 

We saw a lot more than I took pictures of but add to the fact that I'm not very good about taking pictures that I'm not a big zoo fan and the pictures were very limited.

We continued travelling to the port area and inside the city they have a historical area famous for what is called baba y nonya which was for teh mixing of the local Malay (Muslim) culture with the Chinese culture.  It's famous because nowadays the chinese person in the relationship would be required to convert to Islam but back then they weren't and are still exempt from the law.  We went to a restaurant that merges the food of the cultures and it was very good.  They talked me into trying a drink that they call "The Michael Jackson" and it was okay.  I would drink it again except that since coming back have learned that it is most often made with black tea and while I'm not 100% sure that the one I had was made with it, I'm greater than 50% sure it was.  There is an actual name for the drink but they call it the Michael Jackson because it's black and white.  I thought it was funny.

We saw a lot more but given my picture taking "prowess" I didn't think to take nearly enough pictures.  They took me to a restaurant for dinner that they claimed was really famous and apparently it was because when we go there they had a line about 50 yards out and we decided to try one nearby that did the same type of food (basically it was a fondu restaurant and they were really impressed with this new style of eatery) and it was pretty good but they said the other restaurant would have been better.

After that it was time to back to work.  I flew up to Penang to meet back up with my boss for a day before he flew out to China.  Evidently he and our other travelling companion had a good weekend as well but tehy went snorkelling off of another island about an hour boat ride from Penang and both of them weren't burnt like lobsters.  That night we went to dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant that was all-you-can-eat, but the BBQ isn't as good as most places.  The following night we made our typical pilgrimage to Bali Hai that I have spoke of in a previous blog with lots and lots of seafood followed by some of the greatest fruit on earth.  My favorite is the Jack Fruit, but I love the Mango and Papaya that comes out with it all on ice.

The rest of the trip was all business, but while staying at the G Hotel I was within walking distance of a lot of restaurants and shopping.  I had to make a trip or two to a Nasi Kandar (Rice on Wheels) and get my typical Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Masala, Roti Chanai, and Naan Bread.  I love that restaurant and make it a point to visit the place everytime I'm there.  Usually it's with other people and I don't get as much of a look about the food order as I do when alone like I was this time.  To be honest it was a lot of food for one person and while I still wasn't entirely full (the rest would have jsut been over-indulgence) I didn't dare order more.  All told though the meal was less than $20 so I wasn't feeling guilty about it.

Kid Watching

 A while back Rosie volunteered us, as she always does for anniversaries and other special occasions, to watch our nephew.  Only thing was John was planning to go to Uncle Donalds to fill out papers for elk and antelope hunting as well as having dinner and didn't think about that potentially being an issue with having Bubby (aka Everett) tag along.
In the end we got permission from his mother and took him with us.  He was loving the adventure of seeing all the goats, pigs, horses, chickens, and cows that were right next door as well as spending time with his cousin, Tyla. We had some great food and then went out back by the fire and sat around telling lies and other hunting stories.  While this was going on Bubby found that if he brought me orangs from the trees I would keep peeling them and he would get the peels.

Mind you, he didn't eat but maybe on slice from the first orange that he brought to me. He was only interested in getting the peels so he could go over to the goats and feed them through the fence.  I 'm not sure what he might have thought of the experience had he been right in the middle of them but I think he might have been okay with it.

(You can't really see the goats because it was dark but there were a bunch of them)

We had a great time and as usual he didn't want to leave which for the most part was okay with Uncle John but we ended up staying way too long and way past his normal bed time which was not at all okay with Mommy.  I'm not sure that we'll get an opportunity again like this for that very reason, but we had a great time and hope that I might be able to earn back some level of trust again in the future.

Bread!!!

Lately John has been making homemade bread to make sure that if our food storage had to be used that he new how to actually cook with it.  A friend in the ward had sent a recipe on youtube for kneadless bread and while the first loaf didn't look or turn out terribly well but it tasted good and was good enough to prompt him to try once more.  The 2nd was fantastic and we shared it with the O'Hares (sorry to John's family who were the ginnie pigs on the first loaf) and it was gone by midafternoon.
The recipe for this loaf is at:
Kneadless_Bread
and the instructions at points are a little ambiguous (Hence the first loaf fiasco), but if you read some of the comments that go with the video you can start to make some inferences as to what to do to get things to work out.  It's really crusty bread but was great with Butter and Jelly.
With the 2nd loaf success he started clicking around to other potential "Easy Bread" options and came across this "ciabatta bread" recipe:
No_Knead_Ciabatta_Bread
It was really just another bread but ciabatta just sounds better.  John decided to stir it up a little and cut some rosemary from our bush growing in the back and put it on half of the loaf.  It turned out well and we both loved it with the rosemary, but it wasn't as nice with Jelly.  I'm sure the other half would be and in the end this one was like the first just shaped differently.
John was nice enough to allow me to have the "butt" of the loaf.  He's still experimenting with options and we hope that you can have some fun with some of these options he has found so far.

Fun @ Schneff

We recently attended a Birthday party at Schneff Farms in Queen Creek.  It was fun to see kids having fun and seeing the farm animals and we had a really good time.  Rosie must have been feeling a little left out because she decided to mark the occasion with the following picture...

and if it's a good idea for Rosie apparently John should join in...

We had a great time and thank Tyla for inviting us to share in her 10th birthday.

Hobbies and more hobbies...

John is back to playing roller hockey again.  He has been playing on Tuesday nights with coworkers.  He played  recently with his boss Lee (left of John in the picture), Pat (other side of John), and the Ryans (aka Rico! & P) at far right.  We're just waiting for the next big injury to come from this...

Loco Moco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mmm!  Mmm!  Mmm!

Ever since John heard about this dish from a TV show last year he was wanted to try it.  It's called Loco Moco and it's delicious.  He made it a little different than the way it was presented on the show.  It was supposed to have 2 beef patties, but John got a bit adventurous and mixed some ground beef in with the gravy and just poored that over the top of everything.
He took rice and piled it on the plate.  Then he scooped some of the ground beef and brown gravy mixture over the top of that, put a fried egg (over easy) on top of that and then topped it off by pouring some more of the brown gravy and beef mixture on top of all of it.
It was great and he made so much that it made a few meals.  John has been in lunchtime leftover heaven!!!  And he ranks this right up there next to shepherds pie!

Our new Band Album...(Fake Band and album but you'll love it)

Some thing I saw on Hollies Blog (http://rowleycomingsandgoings.blogspot.com/)
Thought it was a good idea...

and if you act now we'll ship for free!

Show off

My Rosie looks particularly lovely today.

She decided to show off a bit and show the flower she got from her sisters-in-law.  They made several for her in different colors and the blue (I'm told its not blue it's turquoise) apparently was the flavor of the day this day and she wanted to try and show how loved we must be because our tree (in the background) was completely full this year and then some.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

It was great celebrating Todd's Bday with Family and Friends.