It seems the torch has been passed on to me. :)
3 Joys
1. Laughing with Austin
2. Having time to actually read a book on my own
3. Seeing a healthy green lawn – dandelion-free
3 Fears
1. Having to shave - looking ay myself without facial hair
2. Not being able to support my family
3. My wife poking me to death
3 Goals
1. Developing specific people-skills
2. Learning how to fly-fish including tying my own knots
3. Owning our own home
3 Current Obsessions
1. Webkinz (Goober’s Lab, Mini Golf & Get 11)
2. News/Current Events
3. Mickey Mouse :)
3 Random surprising facts about me
1. I just saw “The Sword in the Stone” for the first time last weekend
2. I have had a pedicure
3. I’ve shaken hands with President Hinckley & Mitt Romney
People I tag
1. Joanna
2. Evan T.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The New Me - Clean Shaven
I finally had to shave this weekend. Jaclyn and I were looking at different apartments and places to live this past week and our bishop let us know of a elderly brother in our ward who willing to give a place to us for free, sort of. To make a long story short, he recently returned from a 2-month stay in the hospital due to some infections. He moved in with his son, but he wants to be back in his own place. Since his wife recently died and he is still recovering, he was looking for someone to help him make and eat meals together, keep up the yard, clean the house weekly, in addition to have family scripture study, prayer, FHE, and a weekly planning session all together. He would provide the basement of his fully furnished house for rent free, utilities free, and complete with pictures of his family and wall decorations. It was a great deal on the money end, but for us to live we would be more like guests and not be given the freedom to make it our own home. For example, of the two bedrooms, we could only really have one--one of those would be given to any of his family that came over and Austin would have to move out for the time being. Besides, Jaclyn and I would be so busy meeting his needs, we wouldn't have much, if any, time to raise our own family. How does shaving fit into all of this? Well, when bishop and I talked about it before going over, bishop candidly told me the brother would probably not approve of my facial hair. He has a strict personaly, growing up in the military and while also serving at the MTC and in the temple for a number of years. Facial hair was just out of the question. Jaclyn and I discussed it and we were not happy about it, but we figured if it meant free rent and I would have to do it eventually for school, it wasn't so bad. Well, I shaved it and almost cried. I can empathize now with many of my sisters who cut 10 inches of their hair for "Locks of Love" and feel a piece of them is missing. I feel the same way. Although the housing didn't work out with this brother (even after he called us back and offered to pay us $100/month to live there), we talked to our current landlords and came to a great conclusion after an open and understanding conversation. We are staying put for at least until December and they don't have any plans to change things after that anyways. Jaclyn, Austin, and I can finally feel at peace knowing we don't have to move, but we don't feel at peace quite yet with the clean shaven look. It's going to take a few weeks. 
Friday, June 13, 2008
My Birthday and Recent Events
My birthday was on Tuesday, June 10 and I had a pretty good one. Last week, my "Mom" (Jaclyn's Mom) and Abby came to visit and took us out to Winger's for dinner. Yummy! They stayed for the weekend and we had a great time. Then on Tuesday, Jaclyn got up early and made me breakfast before I went to work. Austin got up early too (as usual) and gave me a kiss on the cheek (unusual).
At work, my co-workers wished me "Happy Birthday" several times and we celebrated with a Strawberry Ice Cream cake from ColdStone. Yummy again! When I got home from work, we had our usual Tuesday Night Dinner with Jeremy and Jenn. Jaclyn made my requested dinner with the help of Jeremy and Jenn--Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots, Dinner Rolls, Fruit Salad, and Butterfinger Chocolate Trifle Cake. Yummy Yummy!
It was a great day capped off by numerous e-cards, emails, and phone calls from friends and family members. Thank you to everybody!
In other news, Jaclyn, Austin, and I had our first formal family pictures. Our friends Monica and Ryan Kirkham took our pictures on the grounds of the Jordan River Temple. Monica has picked up photography as a hobby and is now turning it in to a profitable pastime and we were impressed. The pictures turned out really well. I'll be sure to post some very soon. If you want them now, go to Jaclyn's blog because she more on top of things than I am.
I am still doing well at work. I got another promotion recently and am now eligible for bonuses when I place people. This month has been pretty good for me. I've already placed two people and have potential to place a couple more. My plan is to work hard and fill as many as possible before leaving for school in the fall.
At work, my co-workers wished me "Happy Birthday" several times and we celebrated with a Strawberry Ice Cream cake from ColdStone. Yummy again! When I got home from work, we had our usual Tuesday Night Dinner with Jeremy and Jenn. Jaclyn made my requested dinner with the help of Jeremy and Jenn--Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots, Dinner Rolls, Fruit Salad, and Butterfinger Chocolate Trifle Cake. Yummy Yummy!
It was a great day capped off by numerous e-cards, emails, and phone calls from friends and family members. Thank you to everybody!
In other news, Jaclyn, Austin, and I had our first formal family pictures. Our friends Monica and Ryan Kirkham took our pictures on the grounds of the Jordan River Temple. Monica has picked up photography as a hobby and is now turning it in to a profitable pastime and we were impressed. The pictures turned out really well. I'll be sure to post some very soon. If you want them now, go to Jaclyn's blog because she more on top of things than I am.
I am still doing well at work. I got another promotion recently and am now eligible for bonuses when I place people. This month has been pretty good for me. I've already placed two people and have potential to place a couple more. My plan is to work hard and fill as many as possible before leaving for school in the fall.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Man Night
It's me again! I know, it's been a while. I've probably bored many of you to death as I haven't written anything for a while. ;)
As many of you know, Jaclyn and I host a weekly potluck dinner with a small group of friends (Alicia and Jeremy & Jenn). Each week we pick a theme and everybody brings a dish or an ingredient to contribute. Past themes have included "Mexican Food", "foods that start with the letter of our first names", "Underwater Foods", and "Foods we wish we had for our lunches".
This week's theme was one of my favorites: Man Night. Jeremy and I planned a menu with more "manly" foods: BBQ chicken, potatoes, potato chips, soda, and Dutch Oven cobbler. With the recent nice weather, we decided to have it at the park across the street and took our baseball mits, Bocce ball set, and a frisbee.
We had a good time. The weather was a little chilly, but nice. There was plenty of open room and green grass. The food was yummy. Jeremy marinated the chicken and BBQed them with charcoals there at the park. We used the remaining coals for the Dutch oven. This was our first time using the Dutch Oven since Jaclyn's cousin, Darin, gave it to us for a wedding gift two years ago. The peach cobbler turned out pretty well. I used a simple recipe I learned in Boy Scouts-canned peaches covered with a white cake mix, dotted with a cube of butter on top. I added a little bit extra Sprite with the peaches to give it some extra flavor. I think there was too much liquid in the pot because the cake never really set up. After cooking it an hour, we took it home and had it with vanilla ice cream. Yummy!
As many of you know, Jaclyn and I host a weekly potluck dinner with a small group of friends (Alicia and Jeremy & Jenn). Each week we pick a theme and everybody brings a dish or an ingredient to contribute. Past themes have included "Mexican Food", "foods that start with the letter of our first names", "Underwater Foods", and "Foods we wish we had for our lunches".
This week's theme was one of my favorites: Man Night. Jeremy and I planned a menu with more "manly" foods: BBQ chicken, potatoes, potato chips, soda, and Dutch Oven cobbler. With the recent nice weather, we decided to have it at the park across the street and took our baseball mits, Bocce ball set, and a frisbee.
We had a good time. The weather was a little chilly, but nice. There was plenty of open room and green grass. The food was yummy. Jeremy marinated the chicken and BBQed them with charcoals there at the park. We used the remaining coals for the Dutch oven. This was our first time using the Dutch Oven since Jaclyn's cousin, Darin, gave it to us for a wedding gift two years ago. The peach cobbler turned out pretty well. I used a simple recipe I learned in Boy Scouts-canned peaches covered with a white cake mix, dotted with a cube of butter on top. I added a little bit extra Sprite with the peaches to give it some extra flavor. I think there was too much liquid in the pot because the cake never really set up. After cooking it an hour, we took it home and had it with vanilla ice cream. Yummy!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Austin Crawls!
We have an AMAZING son! He is so strong and active. I got home from work today and Jaclyn starting telling me stories from her day. Then as we were about to eat dinner, Jaclyn says, "Oh yeah, Austin starting crawling today." I was shocked! He had started to reach out and "inch" forward, but hadn't made any kind of real progress yet, so today's news suprised me. If you take a look at the videos below, you can see he has his own style, but I think it is cute. He is my hero!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
It's Official!
After some deliberation, I have decided to go back to grad school this fall. Jaclyn and I discussed it and we felt right now was the best time in a number of different ways. BYU made the decision much easier by awarding me a scholarship that will pay for most of tuition for the first year. We feel so blessed.
So, now we start preparing to go back and be students again. I'm a little nervous about going back and using all my study skills. I had a dream on Sunday night that I wasn't prepared and had a hard time. I hope it's not a sign of what will happen the first few weeks of class, because the dream really stressed me out.
I'll have a pretty tough schedule for classes. The MPA program is a 2 year-4 semester program with 57 total credits. That means I have about 15 credit each semester and I will also complete an internship between academic years.
Anyways, Austin really wants to type and is ending this blo?g entry early. Austin your turn: nb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb 3.2klk mkm .
So, now we start preparing to go back and be students again. I'm a little nervous about going back and using all my study skills. I had a dream on Sunday night that I wasn't prepared and had a hard time. I hope it's not a sign of what will happen the first few weeks of class, because the dream really stressed me out.
I'll have a pretty tough schedule for classes. The MPA program is a 2 year-4 semester program with 57 total credits. That means I have about 15 credit each semester and I will also complete an internship between academic years.
Anyways, Austin really wants to type and is ending this blo?g entry early. Austin your turn: nb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb 3.2klk mkm .
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
3rd Annual Pilgrimage to Disneyland
Thanks to Jaclyn and her Dad's family, I have become a Disney enthusist. It all started three years ago, just after we got engaged. Jaclyn's family has always been Disney fannatics and they invited me to go with them as the newest member of their fan club, which I couldn't decline. Each year since then, Jaclyn's family has invited us back. This year was special because it was Austin's first year and the last year the whole family would go together.
We were a little worried this year would get out of hand because there would be 12 of us there: Lee and Jenny, Marcus and Jenn, Michelle and Jared, Michael and his girlfriend Soretta, Alicia, and our family. Traditionally, we stay together in one big group, but as the group was pretty big this year, sticking together was going to be hard. In addition, we found out we couldn't even wait in line with Austin since the waiting in line would be "too loud" for him. Whatever! ;(
All that aside, we had a great time. The weather was less than perfect--overcast and rainy. We almost much stayed dry except for a rainstorm on Saturday afternoon. Austin was protected from the weather because on Thursday night on the road to Vegas, we stopped at the Mesquite Wal-mart and bought a Snugli. It's a pack that you can carry on the front or back-pack style. It was a great solution for Austin because we didn't have to bring a stroller and he could face out and watch what was going on. He is really a people watcher. He was so good the whole trip and especially the first day. He just sat in his Snugli so relaxed and warm. We had to buy him a hat because it was so cold and we didn't think to bring one, but we didn't mind because he looked so cute in it.
We managed to ride on all our favorite rides: Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Carribbean, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Finding Nemo Submarine Ride, Tower of Terror, California Screamin' Roller Coaster, Bug's Life, and Monster's Lost in Monstropolous. We also met Mickey in Toon Town and got our picture with him. Too bad the line was so long, Austin was falling asleep. ;)
We worked out a system for maximizing our rides. Since we couldn't wait in line with Austin, two people would hang back and then use a "baby fast pass" to go right after the big group got off. We didn't get to ride quite as many rides, but we still had a lot of fun. We had a lot of people stop and comment on how cute Austin was, which made the whole trip better. One time, as Austin was having a fit and screaming (yes, he actually screams), a ten-year-old boy came up to Jaclyn and said, "Wow, he is so cute." That made our day.
After two full days of Disneyland and California Adventure, we made the trek home. We hit some inclimate weather in Cedar City and Southern Utah, but made it home safely about 10:30 pm Sunday night. Alicia had school the next day and I had work, but we made it. With all that went on, we still want you to know, if anybody needs a guide to Disneyland or just some extra friends, we would always be willing. ;)
In other news, I got a nasty cold that put me out for two days before our trip and I have a persistent cough. I managed to keep most of it away from Jaclyn and Austin, but they have a cough and a sore throat.
I have been given a semi-promotion at work too, in other words, a promotion with training wheels. I am now an Account Manager managing 3 positions from end-to-end. So basically, I have to find the resumes, talk to the candidates on the phone, as well as coordinate with the hiring managers at our clients to make sure they are interviewing their ideal type of candidates. If I do well with these three, then I've been told, I will be given another pay raise and some more jobs to manage. I was a little nervous, but am doing better after a few days. I had a mini victory on Friday convincing a candidate that salary isn't everything in a job.
That's about it from my end. Jaclyn has updated her blog as well, so don't forget to jump to her blog and get her side of the story. TTYL.
We were a little worried this year would get out of hand because there would be 12 of us there: Lee and Jenny, Marcus and Jenn, Michelle and Jared, Michael and his girlfriend Soretta, Alicia, and our family. Traditionally, we stay together in one big group, but as the group was pretty big this year, sticking together was going to be hard. In addition, we found out we couldn't even wait in line with Austin since the waiting in line would be "too loud" for him. Whatever! ;(
All that aside, we had a great time. The weather was less than perfect--overcast and rainy. We almost much stayed dry except for a rainstorm on Saturday afternoon. Austin was protected from the weather because on Thursday night on the road to Vegas, we stopped at the Mesquite Wal-mart and bought a Snugli. It's a pack that you can carry on the front or back-pack style. It was a great solution for Austin because we didn't have to bring a stroller and he could face out and watch what was going on. He is really a people watcher. He was so good the whole trip and especially the first day. He just sat in his Snugli so relaxed and warm. We had to buy him a hat because it was so cold and we didn't think to bring one, but we didn't mind because he looked so cute in it.
We managed to ride on all our favorite rides: Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Carribbean, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Finding Nemo Submarine Ride, Tower of Terror, California Screamin' Roller Coaster, Bug's Life, and Monster's Lost in Monstropolous. We also met Mickey in Toon Town and got our picture with him. Too bad the line was so long, Austin was falling asleep. ;)
We worked out a system for maximizing our rides. Since we couldn't wait in line with Austin, two people would hang back and then use a "baby fast pass" to go right after the big group got off. We didn't get to ride quite as many rides, but we still had a lot of fun. We had a lot of people stop and comment on how cute Austin was, which made the whole trip better. One time, as Austin was having a fit and screaming (yes, he actually screams), a ten-year-old boy came up to Jaclyn and said, "Wow, he is so cute." That made our day.
After two full days of Disneyland and California Adventure, we made the trek home. We hit some inclimate weather in Cedar City and Southern Utah, but made it home safely about 10:30 pm Sunday night. Alicia had school the next day and I had work, but we made it. With all that went on, we still want you to know, if anybody needs a guide to Disneyland or just some extra friends, we would always be willing. ;)
In other news, I got a nasty cold that put me out for two days before our trip and I have a persistent cough. I managed to keep most of it away from Jaclyn and Austin, but they have a cough and a sore throat.
I have been given a semi-promotion at work too, in other words, a promotion with training wheels. I am now an Account Manager managing 3 positions from end-to-end. So basically, I have to find the resumes, talk to the candidates on the phone, as well as coordinate with the hiring managers at our clients to make sure they are interviewing their ideal type of candidates. If I do well with these three, then I've been told, I will be given another pay raise and some more jobs to manage. I was a little nervous, but am doing better after a few days. I had a mini victory on Friday convincing a candidate that salary isn't everything in a job.
That's about it from my end. Jaclyn has updated her blog as well, so don't forget to jump to her blog and get her side of the story. TTYL.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Every once in a while....
Every once in a while you come across music that makes you want to listen to it over and over. Jaclyn and I came across one of those pieces last week. We were browsing when we came across a Disney sweepstakes commercial. It was amazing! It featured a nice tune and pictures of happy people at Disneyland. We hadn't heard of the song before so it took us aback. We liked it so much we searched high and low on the web. two hours later, we finally found the artist: Daniel Powter. The song was specially written for Disneyland and is not found anywhere on the net. So we just went back and watched the commercial over and over. We did find other songs by Mr. Powter on iTunes and downloaded two of them. I've posted one of them for the song of the week.
Every once in a while you see something that makes your heart melt. Sorry for the cliche but this is how I feel when I come home from work and Austin sees me and gets a huge smile on his face. He lights up and gets all excited. I pick him up and we exchange coos and baby talk. Austin is a special boy because he makes people feel happy, including me.
Anyways, I've gotta go now. We need to eat breakfast so we can go run our Saturday errands to the stores and come back before the BYU vs. UNLV b-ball game tonight.
Every once in a while you see something that makes your heart melt. Sorry for the cliche but this is how I feel when I come home from work and Austin sees me and gets a huge smile on his face. He lights up and gets all excited. I pick him up and we exchange coos and baby talk. Austin is a special boy because he makes people feel happy, including me.
Anyways, I've gotta go now. We need to eat breakfast so we can go run our Saturday errands to the stores and come back before the BYU vs. UNLV b-ball game tonight.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Something Different
I'm doing something different this time. I think Jaclyn wrote a very good summary of our lives for the past month, so I'm going to give the stage to her.
Check out her blog at and read our latest news:
"I think it's about time for an update"
Check out her blog at and read our latest news:
"I think it's about time for an update"
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I've joined the Superteam!
After my niece (Katy) made her own superhero, I wanted one too. This is what I came up with. Thanks Katy and Michelle!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Happy 3-Month Birthday!
Actually, Austin rolled over from this stomach to his back for the first time a couple of days ago, but today was the first day we got video of it. He is an amazing kid. He is playing more with he hands too, including grabbing a rattle and trying to grab my beard. He can't quite get a grip yet, thankfully. Here are two videos of him and his amazing talents!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Holidays
After a long, busy holiday break, I'm back!
We enjoyed a great holiday season traveling to Vernal for 5 days and celebrating Christmas with my parents and 4 of my sibilings, traveling to Beaver to celebrate with Jaclyn's Dad and Jenny and her family, and celebrating New Years in Provo with our cute little baby! Jaclyn's blog has more details.
Thank you to all of you for the nice cards, letters, and gifts. Thank you for your generosity and loving thoughts. We wish we could spend more time with you all!
In other news, I took the GMAT last month and did much better than I had expected. This means I get to start the application process to a few schools in the coming days. Wahoo! NOT. (I'm not looking forward to the mountains of paperwork.)
Austin is still cute as ever. He had his 2-month appointment Dec 11. The doctors are concerned about his weight gain. He is a skinny boy. He is fine development wise though. He smiles and laughs and grabs our hands. He gets plenty of "tummy time" and has even managed to escape out of his "burrito" and turned off his baby monitor at night. Sneaky boy! He continues to be the joy of our family.
Stay tuned for more.
We enjoyed a great holiday season traveling to Vernal for 5 days and celebrating Christmas with my parents and 4 of my sibilings, traveling to Beaver to celebrate with Jaclyn's Dad and Jenny and her family, and celebrating New Years in Provo with our cute little baby! Jaclyn's blog has more details.
Thank you to all of you for the nice cards, letters, and gifts. Thank you for your generosity and loving thoughts. We wish we could spend more time with you all!
In other news, I took the GMAT last month and did much better than I had expected. This means I get to start the application process to a few schools in the coming days. Wahoo! NOT. (I'm not looking forward to the mountains of paperwork.)
Austin is still cute as ever. He had his 2-month appointment Dec 11. The doctors are concerned about his weight gain. He is a skinny boy. He is fine development wise though. He smiles and laughs and grabs our hands. He gets plenty of "tummy time" and has even managed to escape out of his "burrito" and turned off his baby monitor at night. Sneaky boy! He continues to be the joy of our family.
Stay tuned for more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)