Falling into winter

Okay, so it's Friday night, the siblings are all at college, and mom & dad are in Ephraim for the weekend to watch Vanessa play in a concert and to also visit Emily. I'm bored out of my mind, and the only productive thing I can think of is to update my blog. I know, I know. It's pitiful. But these kind of weekends have been very few and far between since moving home. However, there is a lot to tell, so here it goes.

The best news I've heard in a long time came a few weeks ago. I got a letter from Utah State University, saying that I've been accepted into the Masters of Accounting program, and can start in January. Although it took longer than I planned it would, I'm happy that I'll be able to continue my education. Only 30 credits stand between me and the CPA exam. I should be done in a year, and get my degree in the Spring of 2011.


Back in September, Lake Point held it's annual fall festival, and that gave me the opportunity to put my new digital camera to use. It's a clone of Stuart's camera, but I really like it. We had the 5k run/walk on the first day, then the parade, games and activities the second day. We had a pretty good turnout, and it was fun to catch up with residents, both current and past.


With the coming of September means birthday galore for our family with four overall, including three in an 8-day span. Lots of cake and ice cream for everyone.


Another favorite of autumn is the change of colors, falling of leaves, and coming of snow. Here are some pictures that capture all of that and more.



Halloween was fun, but I forgot to get a picture of me in my mail carrier uniform. Maybe I'll get some taken during the rest of my free weekend. Stay warm and start preparing for the holidays.

Summer is over, school begins

So I didn't blog again for a few months after the last one, but just under 3 months is pretty good for me, considering I usually take longer to post. I've decided to give all of you an update on how life has been for me since the last post; in other words, here is how the rest of my summer fared up (outside of working, which was most of the time)


One of my favorite events in our ward was the annual Primary Rodeo Round-up, where all of the primary kids brought their stick horses for games, races, a hay ride, and a big picnic. We had a really good turnout this year, and I got to help with a few of the activities, along with the other primary teachers. I always enjoy how the very simple things can make even the smallest children happy and content. I got to be a judge for all of the stick horses the kids brought, and we had just enough categories where each child won something.




When the Garners came to visit us back in June, our FHE activity was a Bees game at Spring Mobile Ballpark. We got really good seats and very inexpensive prices to boot. The Bees won the game handily, but the strangest play was an inside-the-park home run on a bunt (along with two throwing errors). I'm usually not a huge baseball fan, but I'll take any live game I can go to just about anytime.


Also during the Garners visit to Lake Point, I was able to meet two of our newest family members: Jen who married my cousin Brent back in 2006, and their first child, little Carmen Reece. She was only a few months old when they visited, but we could pick her up and put her on our lap or feed her without her being fussy (most of the time). Whenever she napped, I kept wishing to myself that I could sleep like that every night. I'm sure it won't be long before she'll be rolling over, crawling, and learning her first words.


For the 4th of July, our family made the usual trip to Tooele to watch their Independence Day parade. It was a little strange for all of us, since all of us siblings are now high school grads, we didn't have to go to Grantsville for their parade. We worried about rain, but it was only a few drops near the end, and we were spared being in the sun. The highlight of the parade was before it even started, when a Utah Highway Patrolman on a motorcycle rode standing on the seat, straight up, no hands, for about 100 feet. I wish I had my camera ready when that happened.

Stay tuned for the next blog, for it might have better pictures and even some videos, as I'll be getting a new camera in the new future. Until next time.

Summer is here!

I know that in my last blog, I promised that I would try to blog more often. Well, I'm still trying. But, after looking through the pictures in my camera, I decided to give everyone an update, and hopefully I'll be able to stay more on top of things.


This was back in April, when Emily's boyfriend Shaun was visiting from England, and one night, our family got together to play The Candy Bar game. You can count all of them if you want, but I think the total was somewhere between 60-70. It was still lots of fun, and though not everyone got exactly what they wanted, we usually trade after all is said and done. Plus, since we've played this game a lot, our family know what everyone likes, and that just makes it harder.


On a much sadder note, our cat Pre passed away in his sleep back in May. The night before, he came downstairs and woke me up. I petted him for a little while, then he went down to underneath my bed. He was there in the morning, and when I came back from work. But before I went to bed, I tried to wake him, but he'd already gone. He was stiff when found, so he probably passed away in the morning, and we buried him in the morning. We won't be getting another cat, since mom & dad don't want to take care of a pet when they become empty nesters. We'll definately miss him, and the crazy things he does, like nap in the bathroom sink.


A month ago, my little brother Stuart and cousin Jarom graduated from my alma mater Snow College. It was fun for me go back to Ephraim, see the campus, and think back about the good old times. Vanessa will graduate from Snow this December, and Emily will begin her first semester there this fall. Now we need to get Ethan to go, so all the siblings can be Badgers.

Thanks for reading. I'll blog again soon.....hopefully. :)

It's about time I get this going again...

Okay, okay. I know that it's been almost 5 months since I've posted on here, but I have a good excuse (at least I hope it's a good one). A few days after my last post, I finally started working again on a regular basis at the Post Office REC site (Remote Encoding Center). I worked there in the summer of '07, and during winter break later that year, so it only took a few days to get back into the groove. They needed help for the holiday rush, and if they like my work, they could let me stay on. Thankfully they did, and that's what I'm still doing. I'll keep it up until I start grad school this fall. But, some good things have happened since the missionary reunion.

First off, the first picture is the primary class I got to teach during 2008 (l-r: Josh, Grace, Megan, Lucy). I got them to stay still long enough for this picture, and despite their energy, they were really good kids to teach. It didn't take long to gain their trust, they participated in class, and loved to poke jokes at me, saying things like "You've got candy on your head" and "Boys can't wear pink" (from the girls, of course).

As a family, we attended the last regular season game of Real Salt Lake's schedule, and the 2nd game ever at the brand new Rio Tinto Stadium. I must say that the stadium is very nice, not just for soccer, but in general. Lots of seating, great sound, plenty of space, and hopefully we'll be able to visit again many more times in the future. RSL played Dallas that day, and the home team won 3-1.

Last week, the family went to a Utah Grizzlies hockey game, since Emily and the Grantsville Show Choir were invited to sing the national anthem before the game. We weren't able to really see them from where we were seated, but we did catch them on the jumbotron. It was my 1st hockey game in about 5 years, and we had a wonderful time as a family. The Grizzlies beat the Stockton Thunder 5-2 to send us home happy, until we found out on the news that Jazz owner Larry H. Miller had died earlier in the day. Larry will be missed, but he left a legacy that will never be forgotten.