Random Thought

There are lots of things that change as you get older, not the least of which is how your clothes wear out. Growing up, it was rare that my jeans made it through a whole school year without me growing out of them. Even then, they were often worn out in the knees. Sometimes they'd have holes ripped open in various places from playing in fields, climbing fences, and falling off bikes and out of trees. Holes often meant great stories to tell, particularly if they were the non-knee variety.

As I got older, I stopped growing so much and so my jeans started lasting longer. However, I would usually use the older pairs as work clothes when I did construction and so in the end, they too were full of holes in the knees and random other places.

Now that I'm older and have a full time job, my pants only wear out from doing one thing, sitting on my butt all day long. It's always embarrassing to be at work and realize that it's time once again to retire another pair of pants.

"This Christmas"

I know I've put up way too many videos lately. It's quick and keeps my blog alive until I can get back to posting about my family (who is still wonderful, by the way). This is a fabulous new Christmas song by a super talented band, Fictionist. I might just know some of the band members personally, but I am not posting it because I know them. I just think they are seriously really good and this song is simple, short and sweet. Enjoy!



If you like this song, get the mp3 free here: http://www.facebook.com/fictionistnoise

Serving As Christ Would

My friend just sent this video to me. It inspired me. As you would know if you read my long ramble a week or so ago, I struggle to know how much to sacrifice in order to serve those who are needy around us. We aren't rich by any US standard, although quite comfortable. However, compared to many in the world, we live as well as royalty. I don't know how much to give up in order to help those in need. I don't even know where to begin really, besides the occasional donation, humanitarian aid project, or sub-for-santa. I realize we all have different missions in life and are placed where we are for a reason. I don't want to throw everything out or be ungrateful, but I do know where much is given, much is required. I am always inspired by people who give up so much to help out the destitute. The man in this short video clip is such a wonderful demonstration of that. I don't think he is even Christian but I believe he is serving the way Christ would.

Random Act of Culture

This video already has almost 6 million views so I might just be late joining the bandwagon, but I totally LOVED this and want to echo a comment posted about the video, "Why can't this happen at my mall?"



Handel's Messiah is by far my all-time favorite music in the whole world. That's saying something too because I am very opinionated about music.

As December Approaches (A Christmastime Ramble)

In less than 2 hours (in my current time zone, that is), it will be December. I know from a retail perspective the Christmas season begins as soon as Halloween ends, and I technically count it Christmastime once Thanksgiving is over, but with December looming only moments away no one can deny any longer that "the most wonderful time of the year" has arrived. I really do believe it's the best time of the year. I always look forward to it and as early as September we are listening to Christmas albums in our house. It's really the only time of the year I make an effort to decorate the house festively and actually enjoy the decorations (I don't so much love all Halloween decor, but I do some of that too without as much zeal). I love all the parties, the treats, the concerts and all around good will toward men that can be felt throughout the season.

However, as I have gotten older, read more about how the world works outside of my little bubble, opened my eyes a little more to the harsh realities some people face, I am left with a little sadness during the holiday season, well, and really throughout the year. I felt it acutely today as I sat in my comfortably-heated SUV listening to "Silent Night" while waiting for a red light to turn green. About ten cars ahead of me a man without gloves and an old coat stood on a corner holding up a cardboard sign. I couldn't read the sign, but of course I knew what it said already. Don't we all? It's a scene we're all familiar with. He didn't try to approach any cars or walk down the road in search of a driver who would roll down their window. I was wishing he would. We had some extra coins in our car that I could have given him. By the time the light was green I was caught up in a long line-up of cars and couldn't stop at his side. I actually thought about turning around though, getting back on the freeway, just so I could be in a location where I could reach out and give him enough money for just one meal, or a pack of cigarettes or even a bottle of whiskey, whatever would ease his suffering a little this morning. With the words of "Silent Night" still ringing in my ears I have to admit, I shed a few tears. I cried for that man and for all the men and women and children out there who don't have a wonderful Christmas season to look forward to.

Maybe that man was a conman. Maybe he had made a series of bad choices that lead him to be begging on a roadside. Maybe he's just receiving the just desserts of a life not well-lived. Maybe, if I gave him money, he would waste it on booze or drugs. Maybe he's mentally so unstable he doesn't even realize how sad his plight really is. How many things go through our heads when we see these kind of people, but who cares? Who cares if he is any of these things? Aren't we all beggars before the Lord anyway?

This is where my soul-searching always leads. I have so much. I have more than enough. I live an abundant life, for which I am truly grateful. However, where much is given much is required. I struggle to know how much to sacrifice in order to give to those who maybe don't have all I do. Our culture sometimes frustrates me because I see so much frivolity around me and I participate in it regularly, but sometimes with a guilty conscience. Would it really rob my family if we lived in a smaller, simpler way and gave more? I sometimes wonder if we wouldn't be doing our children a service to downsize our lives and use our excess to truly serve without thought of reward. Maybe they wouldn't get all the things our culture dictates to us we should be providing for our children, but we'd be giving them experience loving and serving. What else is there really?

Anyway, I don't mean to be a Negative Nancy for Christmas. I really do love so many Christmas traditions and I couldn't be happier that so many people slow down their lives for a month to think a little more about the birth of a humble man who made all the difference in the lives of each of us. Even for those who don't worship Jesus as the Christ, the good will and cheer throughout the season is incredible this time of year. My goal this season is to find ways to sacrifice and serve, hopefully doing my small, inadequate part to follow the Savior's example. I am sure I won't dispose of all the frivolity that surrounds this holiday, but I want to be more deliberate about how I spend my time and resources celebrating Christmas this year and every year.

Enough of the rambling. Now on to some music. Here are a couple possibly lesser-known Christmas songs that I absolutely love. They are worth a listen. Happy Christmas Season!






I actually like the version on the anniversary edition of The Forgotten Carols better, but the message is incredible either way.

Some Quick Notes about Fairly Unimportant Things

1 . It's been a while since I had a cold sore. The last time was actually a year and a half ago, when I got 10 at once. It was awful. I just got another one a few days and a second just sprang up, right under my nose to boot. It's going to look really hideous in a few days. I am not thrilled about this multiple cold sore thing that has started happening.

Now, on to more fun things....

2. I continue to love all things Harry Potter. Deathly Hallows part 1 did not disappoint.

3. I am so sad for Boise State, especially their kicker. After coming home from HP, we watched their tragic fall from grace in over time.

4. I am loving this come-from-behind Jazz winning streak. I need to watch more of their games.

5. I can't wait to go to The Messiah tonight.

6. Go Utes!

Picking Things Up Quickly

Today, Adie and I were discussing visiting San Fransisco because that is where the Little Einsteins live according to her. I informed her she'd already been there which made her really excited. Then, she said she wanted to visit Mickey Mouse. I asked her where he lived to which she replied, "Disneyworld." I told her yes and that I hoped she could visit him there one day, but she did see him in person recently at Disney on Ice. She then asked me if it will be the real one who will not be in costume when we see him at Disneyworld, and I thought she was referring to the fact that Mickey wore a number of different costumes during the Disney on Ice performance. However, I thought she believed the Mickey at Disney on Ice was the real one. She then mentioned that the Mickey on Disney on Ice was just a person dressed up as Mickey. What? You aren't supposed to know that yet. I don't remember telling her that. Unfortunately, little Adie dear, if you are disappointed by the Mickey at Disney on Ice, you're going to be disappointed by the Mickey at Disneyworld as well. She's really starting to pick things up quickly these days.

On an unrelated note, just because I don't want to forget this cute little phase, Chase points to every object that gives light - lights, stars, the moon, the sun, lamps, etc. and calls them stars. If you ask where the stars are he'll point to the nearest light and yell, "Star!" I never tire of it. It's adorable.

On another completely unrelated note, we are doing some Thanksgiving baking today and everything smells heavenly. Oh, how I love this holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Unmotivated

Does anyone want to take over this blog for me? Yes, I really do want to keep a record of our family's happenings, but it turns out, it's not something I ever prioritize and I'd rather take 5 minutes to write something pointless and random, like this, on here than post something a grandparent or friend would like to see. I still need to finish up the summer, and well, the fall. The more time passes, the less I want to do it. Ok, I just needed to get that off my chest. Now, back to not posting....

Toddles and Markers

Chase has being officially taking steps for about a month now, but we weren't about to call him a walker. He was slowly adding a few more steps per day, but mostly preferred to crawl, until yesterday. Now, he is all about walking. In fact, he already tries to run. He gets ahead of himself all the time because he wants to go as fast as he does when he crawls (and trust me, he is a fast crawler). Anyway, I love it when children first start walking. It is so dang cute! I have been so entertained the past couple of days just watching Chase take his little wobbly steps with his wide leg stance and his hands out to his side for balance. I also cloth diaper him so it's especially funny to watch him toddle around with this huge bubble butt. It makes me laugh. I tried to take a picture of him, but as soon as he saw the camera he was coming after it, so the shot isn't very good. I'll need to try for a back shot one of these days so you can see his huge toosh. It's adorable. He's such a good kid.


In other news, while folding some laundry upstairs today I left Adie sitting at the table downstairs, coloring with markers. I have come to the point where I trust Adie to not go color something she shouldn't. Today, she tried something new though. She colored a balloon with marker. What did this mean? The marker didn't stick very well to the balloon so she had ink all over her hands, arms, chin, forehead and then proceeded to touch the wall and handrails while she walked upstairs to show me her creation. I couldn't really be mad at her. I've never told her to not color on balloons, but boy was it a mess. I guess I still need to be a little more cautious with those markers, especially when I try to steal away for a few minutes to get some chores done. Here is a picture of her hands after trying to wash them for several minutes. It's not a great picture. She kept trying to dance while I was taking the picture so this is the best I could get, but you get the idea. Silly kiddo.

I worked so hard for that title

Well, one day I'll post some pictures of our happenings, but at least I am back on the blog. Here is a clever political ad from California. It's by a Hollywood director who now regrets having supported Senator Barbara Boxer. I don't know much about her, although what I do know isn't necessarily good. Actually though, the overall message is what I like most about the video. Get over the titles! To quote Brett's grandpa (or great-grandpa), "You're just as good as everyone else, but not one bit better!"

Call Me Senator from RightChange on Vimeo.

P.S. Thanks for all the great feedback on the hair question. I am not sure I am brave enough to try it, but I would be lying if I said it didn't intrigue me.

No Product Hair Washing?

Has anyone read about and / or attempted to ditch all their hair products and just rinse with hot water, thoroughly massage the scalp and brush with a boar bristle brush to maintain healthy hair? I am all about going back in time to find some kernels of wisdom we've lost with our mad cultural rush to make everything better. We are now discovering that a lot of the chemicals, treatments, etc. that our ever experimental culture told us would make us healthier, cleaner, better are actually quite harmful in the long-term either to ourselves or our environment at large. I am sure many hair products could fall into that category.

So, when I read an article on Yahoo today about middle-aged women having long hair that just happened to briefly mention the no-product hair maintenance method, I had to google a little further. I have read snippets here and there about such a phenomenon, but have not attempted it. I don't particularly like having greasy, dirty hair. However, it seems there is some good, at least anecdotal, evidence that would suggest it might be something worth trying, if you can stand to have about a 6 week period of greasy hair while your scalp's oils readjust.

What you do y'all think of this? Is it worth a try? It sure sounds natural, safe and cheap.

Gotta Love C.S. Lewis

I have totally fallen of the blogging wagon. I just read this quote out of Mere Christianity and it is worth sharing. Maybe actually logging into blogger and putting a post out there will help motivate me to finish blogging about the rest of our summer, and well, some of fall since we are well into that season now too. Anyway, on to C.S. Lewis. He has made some profound observations, that man:

"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because he was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means--the only complete realist." (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, Chapter 11.)

Heaven, I Mean Island Park

Warning: Travelogue! I don't even know how to make this remotely entertaining, just doing it for recording purposes, so feel free to scroll to the pictures. You probably do anyway. I know I often do if I don't have much time to read.

Boy, I love Island Park! I had never been there until I met Brett, but we have had many a wonderful vacation there. This was a quick trip, but, as always, a good one. We visited Quake Lake, which was rather cold and windy, but beautiful. We then attempted to stop at a picnic table off the side of the road for lunch but the bugs were rampant, or was it the rain? I can't remember, but our outing for that day was cut a little short. The next day, we had to take a trip through Yellowstone. It's only about an hour's drive from the cabin and then saw "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" that night at the Playmill. The next day was spent hanging out around the cabin until Brett, the kids and I had to pack up and head back because Brett had a plane to catch that night. Dang work anyway!

Quake Lake on a cold, windy day. I think we spent about 5 minutes here. We're getting to be wimps getting used to the heat of Arizona.


We spent a great day in Yellowstone, minus all the traffic. We didn't get to stop at nearly as much as we wanted to, but as evidenced by Adie's sleeping picture, we still managed to do enough to wear the kids out.

This is an awesome wood swing hung between two trees in front of the cabin. Adie had it made swinging with her cousin, Amberlee, surrounded by wild flowers.

The Birthday Con't

Well, I continue to struggle documenting mine and my family's lives. It's always been a weakness of mine. Pretty much every journal entry I have ever written begins with an apology that I haven't been keeping up-to-date. It seems our blog is turning into that too. No excuses. I just get bored with the idea of blogging sometimes.

Anyway, to pick up where we left off, which was two months ago already, we celebrated Brett's birthday and the 4th of July a day early with the rest of the Mormondom. However, we did save Brett's present-opening for his actual birthday. This man is difficult to buy for, but if has something to do with BYU, it's usually a pretty good bet, so the kids and I made a trip to the BYU bookstore a week earlier to get some goods.

A new BYU hat - I have never seen Brett wear any other type of hat. He gets a new one just about every year, so he's getting quite the collection these days.

The obnoxious BYU tie - I was going for something a little more muted, but Adie wanted to pick it out and this is the one she liked best. I think Brett likes it too (or, at least, pretends to).

After church, we headed up to beautiful Island Park to spend time at Brett's family's cabin. I wish there were a feasible way to live in Island Park, or a place like unto it. There just don't seem to be a lot of job opportunities for engineers within any sort of reasonable distance :( Oh well, we make the best of it by visiting whenever we can (which isn't so often anymore considering the distance).

Chilling at the cabin

Nothing says we're at a cabin like wearing 'coon skin hats.

Independence Day

We had a busy 4th of July weekend (doesn't pretty much everyone?). We started it off by going to my family's annual 4th of July breakfast. We hadn't been for many years and it was so nice to see some of my Savage side again. We only got one pic of the event though (lame). Then we strapped the kids in the car and drove up to Idaho. Nothing like getting back in the car for another long car ride. Actually, the kids have been subjected to so much travel they are really great travelers now and we don't even own a portable DVD player!

We spent the evening of the 3rd with Brett's family, catching up with his cousins and their kids. We had a great dinner in the backyard. How I long to have a spot of land like the one Brett grew up on. Brett's mom also made him a birthday cake so we could celebrate a day early when so much of the family was around. It was so great to see everyone. Even Brett's cousin who had had a baby only a few days before came with her kids. I love Brett's family and we had so much fun enjoying a beautiful Idaho evening before heading off to watch the fireworks in Idaho Falls.

Here is Chase playing ball with some of his Savage second cousins. These boys were awesome. They had so much fun playing with him and Chase loves being around other boys. They had a blast.

Ok, I am now officially a fan of the collage (I eat all my former words / thoughts about them). There were too many great photos to make you scroll through, but here's a smattering of our fun 4th (3rd) of July dinner with Brett's family.

And, here's the old man himself, blowing out 28 birthday candles.

Grandpa Time

These kids love their grandparents and we tried to fit in as much time with them as we could. We went with my dad one morning to a local park. How nice it was that the temperature is cool enough in Utah at 10 am, even in the summer, that we could spend some time there.

Fish and Cousins

What do you do in the middle of the night when you can't sleep? Blog, of course! Little Chase has become a much, much better sleeper, but like all babies, you can't count on a great night's sleep every night. The good news is I went to bed quite early, so I already had a few hours of sleep under my belt by the time he got me up. I think that's why I can't fall back asleep actually, but I'll survive. Nothing like the present to get me back on track on my blog catch-up.

While in Utah we took advantage of some time to be with cousins. We went to the aquarium, which you can hardly tell from the few pictures we took. I think Adie really enjoyed it, but mostly I think she liked being with her cousins. Chase was just happy for a change of scenery. I thought it was fun to see the aquarium which they built only a few years ago and I hadn't visited yet.

Adie's cousin, who is only a few months younger than her, checking out the fish. These two (mostly) play very wonderfully together and Adie misses her.

Hanging out with Aunt Diana

Adie had to get in on the picture-taking action. I still love carrying Chase in the wrap, and he still loves it too.

The twins checking out the sunglasses at the gift shop. These two are only a few months older than Chase and I hope they will all be good friends when they get a bit older.

A Mini Hike

Well, my goal of posting something everyday until I was caught up from all our travels has already gone unfulfilled (shocker), but I am undaunted. Since we didn't have too much going on this evening, I thought I'd get back on track. I am trying to go chronologically so we are still writing about late June.

Also, I have decided to do something unprecedented here at the Millar Family Blog. I made a collage. I don't normally do that for two reasons. First, I am extremely lazy when it comes to uploading photos, so extra steps aren't generally my friend. Second, and you collage-makers out there, please don't be offended, I don't love it when others put collages on because I can barely see the pictures. I am squinting on my 24" monitor to see what is going on half the time. However, it is a pretty efficient use of space when you have a lot of photos about one little event, so I decided to dive in. I admit, that picasa collage-maker is a pretty slick little tool. I suppose you might find me putting a few more collages on here from time to time.

Anyway...back to the events at hand. We decided we needed to get up to the mountains of the beautiful Wasatch Front, so we headed up Little Cottonwood Canyon with Marc and Diana, and after unsuccessfully reaching the Albion Basin for a little hike (still closed due to snow or something), we ended up on a nature jaunt (I'd hardly call it a hike) at Snowbird. It was beautiful, of course, and a little colder than we had anticipated. So, Adie wore a nursing blanket to keep her warm, which also allowed her to play the part of superhero with a cape. I think she enjoyed that. She mostly enjoyed seeing snow in the summer and getting into a snowball fight with Diana. Chase enjoyed chilling in the wrap and taking in the scenery. All in all, not a bad way to spend a morning. I long to live among such scenery.

Saying Goodbye

Let's reach back to mid-June to start our game of catch-up. We already had plans to go to UT / ID / FL during the month of July. Because we received the unfortunate news of my grandmother's passing, we extended our trip by a couple of weeks and headed up to Utah on June 22nd, in order to attend my grandmother's funeral on the 23rd. Funerals can be so bittersweet. I was very sad to say goodbye. I have nothing but the best of memories of my Grandma Savage. She was a wonderful person and I miss her dearly. I was really happy for her though because her body and mind have been failing her the last few years. I know she is now in a better place. The great thing about funerals, though, is the opportunity to get together with family you haven't seen for a long time. I saw many of my cousins and an uncle I hadn't seen in a very long time.

Her funeral service was very nice, even a little humorous at parts. It was also very musical, which is fitting for a woman whose life was full of music and singing. Adie now has me sing her the song "Doodlely Doo" daily (that song is probably not recognized by anyone not acquainted with the Savage family, but it's a family favorite). I am so grateful we live close enough that Brett, the kids and I were all able to make it out to pay our final respects to a woman who deserves all the respect in the world.

All the cousins who were present (except me who was nursing Chase, grrr!)

I don't know why this picture is so small, but here's my dad enjoying a moment catching up with family.

Adie was really curious about death, the afterlife, the funeral, etc. She still talks about how Grandma Savage died and is in heaven and how she was a good woman. It's been a great opportunity to talk with her more about what we believe. When we were told we could take a flower from the casket as a memento, she thought that was way too cool and kept going back for more. I think we finally got a handle on the situation after she had helped herself to about 4 flowers.

I know my Grandpa Savage really misses his wife. They were the cutest couple and in the last few years, I think they grew even closer to one another as my grandpa had a larger role to play in taking care of my grandma. What a great example of love and service they have been to me.

The Long Absence

This blog has been neglected, or almost neglected, for some time now. Besides the fact that I haven't been in a blogging mood lately, the real reason for our lack of posts is because the kids and I had been gone for 6.5 weeks visiting various states, in which family members reside or were visiting. Brett got to join us intermittently for about 3 of those weeks, but he still was working remotely a good portion of that time. Ah the joys of having a real job! Anyway, it was such a busy, busy summer full of memory-making and catching up. The kids were incredibly good travelers considering all the places and events they were taken to. Routine? What routine?

Amongst our travels we attended my grandma's funeral, two family reunions and the traditional Savage Family 4th of July breakfast. We also visited the Millar Family cabin, went to my cousin's wedding reception, attended another cousin's mission farewell, and were present at our newest nephew's baby blessing. We managed to get together with as many friends while we traveling too. We got pictures of many of these happenings, although there were a few things where the camera wasn't pulled out. Overall, I saw almost everyone I wanted to see. There were a few I missed and I certainly wished I had had more time with each and every person, but you do what you can do. We hit 6 states on our travels too: Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming (thank you Yellowstone for taking care of lots of those in one day), Georgia and Florida. And, if you include strictly traveling through, we also hit Nevada and Texas.

Anyway, for the next few days, I hope to play catch up and document all that has recently gone on. I considered abandoning our blog, but decided, if nothing else, it's a great way to preserve family memories, so here's to getting on top of all that. Get excited for blog mania from the Millar household.

While I get all our photos together, here's the latest and greatest picture of our adorable little Chase who just turned one, (more on that later).

And, here's a picture of Adie, just because she's also really cute.

Proud Husband

Just a quick note. I'm proud of Sabrina. She finished her first marathon yesterday, the Deseret News Marathon. Her training had been less than spectacular considering Chase hasn't consistently slept through the night yet. She'd run 10 straight miles once. That was about 2 months ago. And then yesterday she went the distance. She'll point out that she walked on the hills and some other spots as well. In the end, I still say she rocked it just by finishing it.

The Brits finally came up with a good idea...

I thought it was hilarious. Here's how to deal with telemarketers.

http://revk.www.me.uk/2010/07/what-moron.html

A couple of observations

1) Cotton shorts really are pretty versatile. This morning, when I saw what Adie was wearing, I was really surprised to see her size S (in girls - out of the toddler clothes) body fit into her brother's 12 month shorts. Sure enough, they may be a little small, but overall, don't look that much different than other clothes she wears. The shorts also seems to fit Chase pretty well when he's wearing them. Who knew those two would be sharing clothes.

2) Since when was Michael Jackson's music considered oldies? The Jackson 5, sure, but I was surprised to hear "Billy Jean" on the oldies station this morning. Oh wait, it was released in '83, so the song is 27 years old! I guess that does make it an oldie. It really makes you feel old when music that came out after you were born makes it to the oldies station.

On an unrelated note, as I type, Adie is adamant that I type, "Adie misses Adie's friends." So, there you go.

The Dance Recital

What better way to say "Happy Fathers' Day!" than show you a picture and video from our daughter's first dance recital. Really, Adie out did herself, entertaining both Brett and me. I am sure Brett was a very proud papa while watching Adie twirl, do the chicken dance and a number of other funny antics during her first ballet performance. So, to Brett we say, "Look at your talented offspring, you lucky man!" and to Adie we say, "Congratulations on a job well done. You entertained your parents even more than we expected you to."

On a quick serious note, Brett is an absolutely wonderful father. I couldn't have married a better man for the job. Also, we really are very proud of Adie. As 3-yr-olds who have only taken ballet for 2 months, I think Adie and her friend, Kenzi, did a wonderful job at their dance recital. The performance won't soon be forgotten.

Now, on to the video. It only took 4 takes to get the girls dancing :)



And one photo from the performance (Brett has a few more he will post later).

The whole thing was way too cute!

Goodbye, Grandma!

On Friday, my sweet Grandma Savage passed away. She's been sick for a few years now and I am so happy she gets to move on, but I will dearly miss her. She was such a good woman and example to me. I have so many positive memories of her. What a wonderful legacy she has left. Some of the things I will remember most about her are having mashed eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast at her house, music and singing, always singing (and it's still one of my favorite things to do), having sleepovers at her house and her doing make-up for my cousins and me, her good-smelling bathroom and her detailed photo albums. I think her obituary was a wonderful encapsulation of her good life. How special grandparents are. I love all of mine so much.

We were just looking at some photos we had of her from my brother's wedding a few years ago. It made me smile and I just wanted to post a few as my little memorial to her. I love you, Grandma. Thank you for everything!

Visitors!

Many posts must be done. Again, I am behind, but I have to start somewhere! The last couple of months have been full of visitors. First, my dad came in town for a week. One of my dad's talents is being a wonderful grandpa and the kids had a blast spending time with him. Mostly, we just hung around, went swimming, etc. but we did do a fun day trip to Tombstone and had a birthday dinner for my dad at the Cheesecake Factory.

My dad and I posing for a picture taken by Adie. Not too bad!


Not sure what was going on with this rock, but I love Adie chilling with her sunglasses here.


Riding on a saddle at the Tombstone courthouse.


Grandpa and the kids taking a break after our tour at the Tombstone Courthouse.

The gallows! These are a replica of ones that were originally in Tombstone, kind of creepy, but really interesting. I actually really enjoyed Tombstone and would like to go back and see a bit more. I heard it wasn't great so maybe going there with no expectations helped me enjoy it more.


The kids loved hanging out with Grandpa on the bed, just talking and playing. I know neither child is smiling, but I assure you, there was lots of laughter during these moments.


I really struggled to get some good pictures (this is why Brett is in charge of photography at our house), but this is the best I have from our visit to the Cheesecake Factory. Can you see Chase going to town with the brown bread? He was a huge fan.


Shortly after my dad left, my friend, Kim, and her husband, Paul, visited us from Houston for a day. Sorry, Kim, this is the only picture I took. I don't know why I don't have more from that day. Anyway, besides having a little grilled dinner, we tried to go to Colossal Cave with them but didn't realize it wasn't very kid-friendly, so mostly we just drove around and talked. It was so good to catch up.


Adie has also had her friends come and visit a few times (names not mentioned to protect the young and innocent ;) ). She and Adie were enjoying a movie while snuggling under a blanket and eating popcorn.


Another day, they got to have fun with homemade playdough. It was my first time making it, so it wasn't stellar. I'll have to keep perfecting the art of playdough-making, but at least it provided 20 minutes or so of entertainment.



We also got to have a nanny with us for a week. Our cute neighbor came over to help me out for a week. She is fantastic with the kids. Here she is helping Adie paint a toy elephant.

She also helped develop the children's musical skills. They had so much fun playing with her.

We always love visitors, whether they travel long distances or live around the corner. So, please, feel free to come on by!

Do you Groupon?

Have you heard of Groupon? If not, you ought to check it out. I am becoming mildly obsessed. If you aren't familiar with how this works, there are a number of cities who have a groupon each day and you have to buy it within a certain time frame. Basically, you buy something in advance but for, usually, a really decent discount. Then, they email you a coupon that you print off and use by the expiration. The expiration is usually a long way out, like 6 months to a year. I have bought things like a family zoo pass to our local zoo, for more than 50% off, a tour and dinner at a local cave (for a date night), a discount at a nut store (do realize how expensive it is to buy raw nuts?!) and today I paid $40 to get $100 at Shabby Apple (an online modest clothing retailer, with the most adorable dresses for women and girls). That's a 60% discount, people! Although many of the deals are local to the area you live, the great thing about the Shabby Apple deal is that, while it's a Tucson deal, it's actually online, so anyone can buy the coupon.

So....I encourage you to check out Groupon and then, if you are feeling like a new dress, check out Shabby Apple. You could get a $100 dress for $40. That ain't bad, folks! If you are interested in this deal, just make sure when you go to Groupon's homepage that you choose Tucson as your city. You can always switch to other cities. I always check out Phoenix and SLC too, or if you are gong to be traveling to another city, you can check out the deals they have posted on that city too. The whole thing is just fabulous and I wanted to pass the info along. Happy Shopping!

Football, BYU and U

I really hope that anyone who reads our blog on a regular basis realizes that Sabrina and I blog about what we are passionate about. That would be politics, kids, and college football (Sabrina) and technology and college football for me. That's a double helping of college football for you, and here's today's second serving.

The University of Utah got their coveted invitation to the PAC-12. I do read a number of BYU football boards and Utah fans have been gloating for months on the BYU boards that the U was a shoo in. They were convinced that they were the crown jewel on the radar of the PAC-10 and would be the first to be offered. Football coach Kyle Whittingham (according to the rumor boards) was even telling football recruits that Utah football would be playing in the PAC-10. Well Utah fans, here's your day. You're welcome to it.

Now don't take this as sour grapes. I've been expecting that if offered, Utah would certainly take the opportunity. I also expected that if offered, BYU would move to the Big-12. Though that would be less certain because BYU's Sunday no-play issue. Money drives everything.

Utah, you're welcome to being Colorado's travel partner. I suppose they will be your in-conference rival from now on. While everyone else in the conference is paired up with another school that is within a few hours driving distance, now your partner is 9 hours drive away, AND you have to go through Wyoming to get there. Be grateful that CU was signed up before the Big-12 turned the PAC-10 down, otherwise Utah would be staying in the MWC. On the bright side, all the schools in your conference are at least a 9 hour drive away. That should help prevent any mischief from occurring on your campus by your in conference rivals.

I really question the cultural fit of Utah in the PAC-12. Yes, they are an "academic" institution, but as I'm often reminded, the U of U is the place of the apostles and prophets. I mean, if you want to achieve greatness in Mormondom, Utah is the place to go, right? The U of U has the largest institute in the church. Utah, good luck being in a conference where you are by far the most conservative school. You just became what you always mocked BYU for being, the religious school dominated (at least relatively) by Mormons.

A couple last thoughts.

Most BYU fans have been bugged that BYU has never been on the radar of the PAC-10. It has less to do with the quality of the program (obviously, since CU got in), and more to do with culture and the values which BYU espouses which are not valued in the liberal "academic" world. Once I heard that Utah was joining the PAC-12, I realized that since Utah is joining a group of bigoted anti-Mormon individuals and institutions which despise and mock the things which BYU stands for, Utah should fit right in. (Ok, I kid, I kid)

What are they going to call the Big 10 and the Big 12 now? The Big 10+2 and the Big 12-2?

To Celebrate or To Lament

Readers of this blog will know we like to follow college football around here. I think most are also aware that we are a house of split allegiance. Being a U of U graduate, I couldn't help but be excited that the U is joining the Pac 10 / 12 (whatever it will be called now). I realize the U was definitely lower on the list of choices the Pac 10 was trying to invite, but it's still a great opportunity and will hopefully benefit the school in many ways, not the least of which is athletics. So, I celebrate the fact that if the U is able to have some fantastic seasons, like they have in the last few years, their chance to go to a national championship game is exponentially greater (I do recognize that to have an undefeated season in the Pac 10 will be a more difficult achievement than doing so in the Mountain West).

All that being said, I do lament the fact that they just up and joined the great evil that is the BCS. Rather than trying to bring it down by proving a mid-major conference can and does produce worthy opponents year in and year out, they have succumbed to the seduction of receiving more credibility by being in a supposedly "better" conference. I like to believe that the MWC does have some teams worth giving the time of day to and they have been unfairly disadvantaged by the current BCS system. I am not saying all of the MWC teams would stack up against all the SEC teams, but on any given year, in football at least, they might stack up to the ACC or the Big East. So, in my celebration, I lament the fact that the U did not stand on principle and push for more equality on the college football field. Luckily, at least according to many BYU fans, Utes and their fans have no principles or standards, so there wouldn't be any expectation for us to use them anyway.

I do realize, above all, it's all about the money, so since this deal bring with it a lot of $ it most certainly is a savvy business decision. But then again, isn't that what is so wrong with the world today? In general, we give up our principles in order to cash in to get ahead. See with me, everything can become philosophical, even college sports.

Brother/Sister Doe

So, one of the questions Sabrina and I have had is how do you refer to neighbors/friends within your ward? Growing up, I don't believe my parents ever taught us to refer to others as "Brother So-and-So". It was always "Jeff" or whatever the individual's first name actually was. The sole exception was the bishop. Sabrina was raised with similar expectations to myself.

At this point in time, however, Adie is getting old enough that she's beginning to call her friend's parents by their first names. At church, she calls her teachers by "Sister ...". Do we try to have Adie call her friend's parents by "Brother/Sister" as well?

I believe that the church has a non-doctrinal policy that everyone should call everyone else "Brother/Sister" at church. Though that could just be me remember something someone told me sometime.

Any thoughts on what you do?

Kitt Peak

Every year, Sabrina and I alternate being in charge of Valentines day and our anniversary. This year, Sabrina was in charge of the anniversary and so we went to the Kitt Peak observatory for their night observing program. I have to say, it was a lot of fun and very cool. We went with a big group, and while we didn't know most of the people, it was still quite enjoyable. We got to go learn about the observatory at Kitt Peak, look through a fancy telescope (though not the biggest ones on the mountain). There are actually 27 telescopes at Kitt Peak.

We arrived and got a boxed dinner. Turkey croisant sandwich, which was good enough. Then we watched a movie, they gave an orientation training, they handed us binoculars and then we went out and watched sunset. We used the binoculars throughout the evening to look at objects in the sky. Not as good as a telescope, but it gave you something to do when waiting for your turn. We also were shown one of the research telescopes up there. After that, we got to go up to the larger telescope we were using for the evening. We looked at a couple of the brighter objects in the sky and then learned how to use star charts. By this time, it had gotten quite dark so we got to look at a number of different objects in the sky, galaxies, star clusters, planets, all in all it was very cool.

Anyway, it's worth it if you are into astronomy or even just science. Towards the end of the evening, after we'd been outside for a couple hours and our eyes had completely adjusted, it was amazing how many stars you could see just with your eyes. And then when you used the binoculars, it was pretty incredible. Anyway, here are a few of the pictures from the evening. If you happened to go with us, I'm finalizing some more of the pictures and I'll be posting them to my photo webpage. I'll send the link via email.

Sabrina testing her binoculars

One of the telescopes, as seen from our sunset overlook

More telescopes, including a radio one

Our group. We didn't know many of them, but it was still fun.

Inside the visitor's center after it was over. The big circle is the size of their biggest telescope up there, 4 meters.

He's On the Move

Why is it that the moment a child begins to crawl they go straight for cords, outlets, dirty shoes, everything that you want them to avoid? Ever since the day Chase finally figured out how to roll, he has been ready to crawl and yesterday he finally officially got it figured out! Ever since then, I have been reminded about how not baby proof our house is. It's fun though to watch him hit this big mobility milestone. It's only going to get crazier from here. No more leaving him contentedly playing with toys on the floor. I'll have to keep my eyes wide open. And for no good reason other than it's fun to see a picture, here is a fun picture of the kids "helping" me with laundry.


We'll see how ambitious I am feeling after church today. Maybe I'll post some stuff that has been back-logged for a while. We've actually done quite a few fun things in the last month or so. Maybe I should document them....