Thank You

President Hinckley,

Thank you for leading us, serving us, teaching us, and making us laugh!

We'll miss you.

New BIKE

My new bike is still in its development phases, but here's a glimpse of it. I'm not sure what I'll name it, because its really a combination of several pieces. My overall goal is to have this one shuttle me to work on a semi-regular basis as soon as the weather chooses to accomodate.

A combination of the things that have made commuting successful for me in the past, this bike has elements I enjoyed as a missionary and as a college student, both of which times I commuted daily by pedal power. This will be a single-speed roadie that promotes cruiser-style posture. I'm excited to finish it, but will not be able to use it yet. We have received about a foot of snow over the last 24 hours!

NOT for the weak stomache!

Last night I went out to run some errands. As soon as I walked back in the door, Sarah greeted me, "Can we get our carpets cleaned!?"
"Uh Ohhhh," was my reply.
Caitin decided to be a big girl and take off her own diaper. She came out of the room half naked and said, "Mom, poops!"
Sarah followed Caitin back into her room. At that point, the poops were mainly still contained in the diaper sitting on the floor. HOWEVER, Caitin began gagging at the smell. She sat down (with her soiled bottom) and proceeded to throw up. At this point the details are a bit hazy, but Caitin evidently stood up while retching until Sarah had her sit down again in an attempt to minimize the projection area.
When I entered the scene, all was calm. Caitin was in the tub, and the bulk of the nastiness had been removed. Carpet cleaner had been applied, and the smells were disguised to my nose. Sarah could still smell the nastiness, though, so I finished the scrubbing.
Sorry no pictures of this event. I suppose it just wasn't worth the digital memory it would occupy.

40 Questions (As inspired by Kenzie)

1.What is your occupation? Geotechnical Engineer
2.What color are your socks right now? Black
3.What are you listening to right now? Nothing
4.What was the last thing you ate? Snack size Mr. Goodbar
5.Can you drive a stick shift? Barely
6.If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Blue
7.Last person you spoke to on the phone? Sarah
8.How old are you today? 27 years
9.Favorite drink? Dr. Pepper
10.What is your favorite sport to watch? Football or Golf
11.Have you dyed your hair? Yup
12.Favorite pets? Cats
13.Favorite Food? Teriyaki Jerky
14.What is the last movie you watched? Bourne Ultimatum
15.Favorite holiday of the year? Thanksgiving
16.What do you do to vent anger? Write in journal or play piano
17.What was your favorite toy as a child? Motorcycle or Tonka Dumptruck
18.What is your favorite, fall or spring? Spring
19.Hugs or kisses? Kisses
20.Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries
21.Do you want your friends to comment on the blog or fill it out on their blog? Either
22.Who is most likely to follow the rules and put this on their blog? There are no rules
23.Who is least likely to do what they are told? Jeff and Kenzie
24.Living arrangements? First House
25.When was the last time you cried? A few weeks ago
26.What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, a belt, and likely a stray dirty sock
27.Who is the friend that you have the most in common that will read this? Melodi
28.Favorite smells? 2-stroke exhaust, huckleberries in the woods, and B&BW Sweetpea flavor
29.What did you do last night? Went to a meeting, studied scriptures, and worked on my bike for a few minutes
30.What inspires you? The blessings of gospel living
31.What are you afraid of? Cars-when I'm cycling
32.Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Bacon cheese
33.Favorite dog breed? Rotweiler
34.How many years at your current job? 2.5
35.Favorite place you've ever been? LaSal, UT
36.How many states have you lived in? 4
37.Favorite day of the week? Saturday
38.Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? Uhmmm...yeah
39.Who is your favorite NFL team? 49ers
40.Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? Nope

Washingdon D.C.

Greetings from the National Capitol! I'm here with former professors and fellow students alike, listening to and sleeping through some of the most up-to-date knowledge available on transportation research and issues.

Occasionally roaming the big city, I enjoy the metro system, which is quite friendly, though my wife tells me she saw on the news that a group of people decided to travel it with no pants on! Quite friendly, indeed!

In other news, I have not completely abandoned my family. The mother-in-law is with them, for which I am very grateful.

Un-Structured Life

Alright, so I apologize for the absence of writing. We have been working on forming some kind of schedule in life again. Our children (plural...yikes!) have kept us hopping. Caitin finally warmed up to her sister a bit. She will now touch her! She held Jamie for the first time about 2 weeks after she was born. Before that Caitin was opposed to loving her sister. Now she seems to be OK with her.

In other news, Caitin has also become OK with playing outside again despite the cold. Around the first of November she stopped wanting to go out, and we have struggled to harness her energy inside! (well Sarah has struggled more than I, cause I could leave to work) Now we have to nearly beg her to come inside again! Her fingers will be red inside her gloves and all she wants is to eat more SNOW ICE CREAM (just snow...the white stuff).

Unbelievably, Sarah sent Caitin out to play in the big puddle for this picture last Saturday! First of all, Caitin rarely gets a chance to do this favorite activity. And secondly, especially not in light colored clothes!

In other news, we've had an abundance of snow this week, shoveling about 7 or 8 inches one day and 3 more the next! Everything falling off the roof has destroyed my raspberry plants and our rain gutter, and has piled up to about 3 1/2 feet! When Caitin walks around the yard, the snow is up to her knees.