Father's Day

This past weekend was a Father's Day extravaganza. It started on Thursday, when we went camping at the beach at El Capitan, just north of Santa Barbara. We've been there before, and we appreciated it so much we decided to go back. The camp sites are relatively large (Meaning that we didn't have to try to sleep five feet from our nearest neighbor's fire pit where people stay up until 3 am regaling each other with pointless stories at which time I drag my tired butt out of bed and very rudely tell them we have children trying to sleep -- who are actually still asleep at that point -- and can they please keep it down, already!? We had none of that, and we are grateful!)

Anyway, so we went to El Capitan and we had great weather. It stayed between 50 and 75 the whole time we were there. At night, of course, the kids played with the camp fire as much as they could until we had to banish them because they were being unsafe with their "poker" sticks. They wandered the vicinity looking for dead wood to burn (which we were later told by another camper that we weren't allowed to do that ... well, too bad!).

When we packed up, our van was filled to the brim. In actuality, for the two days of our trip, we didn't actually have that much by way of "necessities"; we had a cooler and a few small boxes of food with us and a single suitcase with clothes in it. But then all the camping gear had to go in: the firewood, the tent, the camping tote (with everything in it from a hatchet to pots to decks of cards), the sleeping bags, and the pillows. And then all the beach gear had to go in: the tote with sand buckets, shovels, and sunscreen; the beach umbrella, the beach chairs, and the body-boards. We recently purchased a trailer hitch to mount to the back of the van so we could put a 5-bicycle rack on it, which we put to good use (5 people = 5 bicycles!), which also implied we had to squeeze in the helmets into the van.

But the best part: my wife recently bought me a two-seater ocean kayak! This was something we've wanted for a long time, and she took a small bonus I got from work and invested it there as a joint Father's Day/Birthday/Christmas/Valentine's/Anniversary-through-2015 gift. She found a deal on craigslist or somewhere with a guy who was getting rid of his kayak because of a split with his girlfriend for whom he'd purchased it; he was selling everything that went with it, including the life jackets, the seats, the roller wheels, and paddles. My wife also bought mounts to attach to the van's roof (we didn't want to buy a trailer). So ... we had life vests to cram into the back of the van, too.

It was very full, and a real puzzle to assemble.

Camping, we had a blast. Aside from the fact that putting the kayak on top of the van is a real chore (bringing it down is surprisingly straightforward), we are very happy with it. I took it out four times this weekend. The first time went very badly. I had my oldest son in the kayak and tried to get through the breakers at high tide and it simply didn't go well. With everybody watching us from the shore, we were rolled and tossed and hammered with wave after wave until finally we were pushed back to shore with grim expressions on our face. It wasn't going to happen. My son just couldn't swim past the breakers and I couldn't haul both him and the kayak that far.

I tried again a little later when it seemed the waves had calmed (deceptively), and it went almost as badly. I managed to get the kayak out beyond the breakers by pulling it behind me as I dove and pushed through, and by the time I got out there, I was already exhausted. Once I hauled myself up on to the kayak, I started paddling upwind and up-current and actually went quite far out. The swells were high, and one time when I was at a bad angle to a swell and an adverse wind came, the kayak flipped beneath me and I was plunged into the water. The entire time on the water was a ceaseless battle to keep the kayak pointed the right way and to prevent myself from drifting too far down the beach where the rocks were.

Finally, after what seemed like a long time, but could only have been about ten or fifteen minutes, I turned around and headed back to shore. I was tired by this point, and with the wind at my back and huge breakers behind me, of course the kayak flipped as I came into shore. I planned for it and ditched away as best I could. After hauling the kayak up off the sand with my wife, I was shaky and cold and a little disheartened, but still happy that I had had the strength to get out there and make it back safely.

The third time was the next day (Saturday) during a low tide and much calmer waves. I went out with my daughter first, and we had a great time. We paddled out away from the shore and headed upwind and up-current.

She really enjoyed just bobbing on the waves and looking around.

After about twenty minutes, we headed back to shore and on the way in, we capsized again. Even with my specific instructions to jump away from the kayak away from the shore in the event of capsizing, so that the kayak wouldn't hit her, she wasn't able to do so as she just didn't think about it and also got tangled in the rope that attaches the paddle to the kayak. She was dunked soundly, and ended up underneath the kayak when she tried to come up.

After she finally got out, the next wave was upon us and it knocked the kayak soundly into her. I was really quite worried for her well-being, but after I finally got her extracted from the kayak and away from it, she was all smiles, laughing and giggling about the whole thing.

What an amazing little girl!

The last time I went out, I took my oldest son, who was quite reticent given his experience from the day before. But having seen his sister do it, and with his mother not giving him a choice, he finally hopped onto the kayak and I hauled us back out beyond the breakers. There, we started paddling out and headed towards some pelicans that were bobbing on the ocean a bit further out. On the way, we saw these dark shapes rising above the water in the distance, and after staring at it for a bit, I finally realized that they were seals leaping out of the water!

What's more, it occurred to me that I had seen dolphins the day before at about the same time of the day, and less than a minute later, here they came! We were at just the right distance from the shore to almost intersect the path of the dolphins, who were surfacing in the swells. We watched as three of them passed within about ten feet of us as they swam parallel to the shore. We turned and tried to follow them, but, of course, they were much faster than us. Still, what a great experience! I'd seen dolphins at Seaworld before, and "wild" ones at the ocean, too, but always from shore. This was something else!

Happy with our experience, we finally headed to shore. I fully expected to flip again in the breakers on the way in, but we managed to ride the kayak all the way in to shore.

My son was much happier, but being the pre-teen that he is, his praise of his experience was much less than effusive. I, on the other hand, was delighted.

We spent the balance of our beach time just sitting around doing very little. My wife and I mostly sat underneath the beach umbrella enjoying the sun, the sounds, and the sights, and even had some time to enjoy reading books. The children, of course, spent hours erecting sand fortresses with the aim of preventing the waves from overwhelming them as the tide rose. Of course they failed in the long-run, but they enjoyed the process even so.

We also did quite a bit of body-boarding, which is always fun. My youngest doesn't quite have the vision for it, yet, and after a few tumbles in the waves, he was reticent about going out. He had a wonderful time, anyway, with his sand trucks.

We spent almost all our camping time at the beach. When we weren't at the beach, we were back at the camp where the kids mostly just played in the fire. We inherited some wood from nearby campers who were leaving, so they had a great time burning everything they could. On occasion, we got them onto their bicycles and we rode around the campground. The weather was great, my wife did wonders with the food, as always; and it was a great time.

The only downside is that I still feel totally beat up. Having fought with the kayak and the waves, I have bruises from my top to my bottom. Seriously, even my toes hurt. I somehow managed to keep from getting sunburned, though, which is always a very good thing for me.

I believe that El Capitan is now my favorite campsite. If only it weren't so impossible to get reservations there ...

Yesterday (Sunday), was Father's Day. At church, all three kids went up to stand and sang the typical Father's Day songs, and it was fun to see them. The meetings were good, and I spent the rest of the day trying to milk the holiday for all it was worth (even at my wife's encouragement!). I would say stuff like, "I'm going to clear the table ... on Father's Day!" and the kids would squeal and make me sit down and then do the work themselves ... sorta. Towards the end of the day, it got kind of old with them, and they weren't quite as responsive as at the beginning.

We did try to play some games together, but the two older kids were a little grumpy because all they wanted to do was read their books. We played Skip-Bo, and my pre-teen got all huffy because his younger sister was *gasp* using some strategy and blocking his plays. Then we played Star Wars Trivial Pursuit, the DVD version, and the kids liked that, but that ended prematurely, too, when some fighting ensued. So, not altogether a peaceful day, but it was good for me to sit around and recover a bit.

My wife and I did call our own fathers, though, and expressed our gratitude and appreciation. We're making plans to see them in a few weeks, and that is always exciting for the kids. Both of our fathers are good men, and we are grateful for them.

My wife, too, is so amazing. I am so grateful for her and for all the hard work she puts into caring for our family. She's the reason I am a father, and I'm grateful for her in every way. I wish it were possible to express it better, and in a way that would last, too, so that she would feel truly uplifted, appreciated, and strengthened, particularly when the burdens of family life seem heaviest. I love her dearly, and thank her for who she is. And for my new kayak! :)

Huntsville and SpaceOps 2010

I went to Huntsville, Alabama, last week for a conference. Short story: I'm glad I went!

Long story:

Truthfully, I usually only attend conferences in "interesting" places, as it is a whole lot of effort to write a paper, get it reviewed and approved and cleared for public release, and then to get work to schedule and pay for the trip. This on top of the not insignificant disruption that being gone for a week has on my ongoing, "real" work and my family life.

"So, why did you go?" you ask. Well, it's because my best friend from college lives down there and I hadn't seen him in something like 5 years. Seriously, that's the only reason I went. Now, it's not the only good thing that I got out of the trip, don't get me wrong. But I'd be totally lying if I told you that I actually wanted to go to Huntsville. Huntsville is a small, military town in the South. I grew up in a small, military town, and I served my mission in the South, so ... been there, done that.

Granted, Marshall Space Flight Center is there, but the conference tour of the facility was full before I realized I needed to sign up. So, my only real incentive was to go see my buddy, and I am so glad I did. Two of the five nights I was there I was able to spend with him and his family, and I loved every minute of it.

My good friend from college used to drive me crazy with his hair-brained schemes and exuberant personality. He was nearly always trying to get his homework done at the last minute (guess who had to help him?) or talking about kissing some pretty girl (guess who rarely did? (or did so too rarely for his tastes?)) or extolling the virtues of space power systems (um, yeah). Seriously, the guy was weird, but he was still my best friend and ever since our paths in life have diverged I've watched his career and family life from afar.

He ended up going to Georgia for graduate school after I got married and wasn't as much fun to hang around with anymore. It didn't take him long before he, too, found a pretty girl to marry, and not much longer after that before they started having children. They have three daughters now (they lost a son a while back) and have another little boy on the way. His wife is the kindest person, and she suffered my presence in her household with aplomb despite being 6 or 7 months pregnant (can't remember exactly ... but she's pleasantly round).

I was so grateful to be there in their home as their little girls very slowly got used to this stranger who so rudely interrupted their nighttime routine. Their oldest daughter is an extremely bright little girl who apparently reads anything she can get her hands on and who clearly thinks deeply about things. Their middle daughter is an exceptionally friendly little girl who told me all about her bunny with its floppy ears and asked me to take care of it when she had to go take a bath; I was charmed. Their baby girl is too little to talk to me, and she was a little fussy while I was there, but I chose not to take that personally.

But it was just so nice to be there. They are a wonderful couple that are doing good in their corner of the world. They have firm testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and keep their commitments to the Lord and His Church. Their home truly does have the Spirit, and it was a warm and inviting place where I felt comfortable immediately. I was so happy to see my friend teach his children during scripture study, and to learn that his wife was going to a women's conference at BYU -- an experience that I know is quite a spiritually uplifting one.

So ... if they're reading this, thank you!

The other night that I was able to spend time with him I went to a meeting of the Huntsville Gem and Mineral Society. Doesn't sound much like a party, I'm sure, but it was really quite interesting. I got to push the button on his computer to advance his slides during his presentation, so I made myself useful. He was presenting to the aged people in the room the merits of building thorium-based nuclear reactors. I'm a true believer now, as are they. What was fascinating was watching how enthralled the people were with my goofy friend as he got so excited about the subject, all the while wearing his political opinions on his sleeve (the crowd was friendly to his views, as it were ...). The people weren't some drooling senior citizens, either, but most were retired army folks who have forgotten more about chemistry and geology than I'll probably ever know. I'm very glad I went.

The conference itself was really great. I had the opportunity to visit with a lot of people that I needed to visit with anyway about some work things, especially some people from ESA. In true conference form, I also trade some business cards, gathered some "conference crap" (pens, pins, patches, gizmos, and other trinkets from the vendors who had booths there), and broadened my understanding of the state of the art of deep space mission operations around the world (bottom line: most are playing catch-up to JPL, but are doing so alarmingly fast).

I also spent some time at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, which was fascinating. Unfortunately, my timing wasn't so good due to the current uncertainty surrounding the U.S. space program. My overall impression when I left was a feeling of awe at what had been accomplished in the '60s during the Apollo era (seriously, you just can't understand the sheer magnitude of a Saturn V until you're standing beneath one), but, more overwhelmingly, I had a feeling of sorrow. The whole place is effectively a mausoleum to lost spacefaring capabilities -- a reminder of "what could have been".


I also went on a drive-about to see the beautiful, old, plantation-style homes around Huntsville, and to see the beautiful green sights. A funny moment came when I pulled off a highway at a "scenic view" stop, only to find the view completely obstructed by trees.

I also noted that the town has a lot of churches. It's a beautifully green town with an interesting geologic past -- the plethora of strange rock formations and caves in the area are astounding.

I also had the opportunity to go to the formal dinner (underneath the Saturn V at the museum!) and listen to the famous Gene Kranz recount his experiences in mission control during the Apollo 13 mission. It was familiar, but still kind of fun to hear it from him.

All in all, it was a fun trip, and I'm glad I went!

Christmas Newsletter 2009

Folds in Time Discovered

AP – Saugus An engineer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced today the discovery of unnatural folds in time that affected the general vicinity of the laboratory. Cited as an accidental discovery, it appears as if the year 2009 was compressed into a series of disjointed events.

Geographically, the phenomenon extended as far south as Disneyland, where visitors to the park couldn’t account for where all their money had been spent. Nearby to the north, wildfires raged during the summer months which seemed to spread far faster than would normally be possible. The Laboratory itself was spared, but the fire burned to the foothills above and adjacent to the facility.

To the northwest, in Saugus, whole households were apparently affected. Many continue to experience confusion as they consider the passage of time during the previous year. “This year just went so fast!” exclaimed Roy, father of three and engineer at JPL.

The first observer of this phenomenon, Roy says he knew that something was different from the beginning of the year. “I just wasn’t able to get things done like I normally do,” he said. “My family was affected, too. For example, I know for a fact that we took a vacation to Yellowstone this summer, but for some reason, all I can recall are vague memories. I mean, we took almost 500 pictures and bought a few trinkets, but this hat with a grizzly footprint on it is a total mystery to me.”

His wife, standing nearby, expressed similar concerns, but her worries were more related to her children, who seem to be taller than can be accounted for. “They just keep growing! I buy my oldest son a pair of pants and within a month or two they’re floods! And his feet, oh, his feet! He’s going to need to start buying canoes soon. Seriously, there is no way a boy can grow that fast!”

Questioning [this son] directly, evidence mounted as his responses were mumbled and he rolled his eyes as only a pre-teen can do. However, his sister, who turned eight this year and was baptized by her father in October, states that she remembers that particular event vividly. She says she also loved going camping at Big Sur, touring the Lighthouse at Pointe Sur, and visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium. “It was awesome! I loved seeing all the fish – especially the great white shark. It is the only one known to be in captivity!” she says authoritatively.

When asked about how time has gone by so quickly, her younger brother simply said he’s going to be 5 in April and he’ll be bigger then. [These children's mother] indicated that [her youngest son] is in pre-school and has learned all his letters and letter sounds, and can do some basic math. Apparently, though, these and his skills as a master Lego builder have improved unaccountably.

The biggest evidence of change, however, is in the perceptions of those who were caught up in the anomaly. Says Roy, “They say when you get over the hill time picks up speed, but I thought they were kidding!” These kinds of thoughts are clearly inappropriate for one in his mid-thirties, particularly since the life expectancy for males of his age in the United States is 75. His wife notes with a tight smirk that her husband, an amateur genealogist, “has some funny concepts about time. He thinks it’s out to get him.”

In the meantime, local scientists are still studying the phenomenon and expect it to linger into 2010. Some concerns have been expressed among the engineers that the effects of the phenomenon may not remain local. Says Roy, “We just don’t know how widespread this is going to be. It certainly looks like 2010 will be a better year – not to say that 2009 was bad; in fact, it was great – but we won’t know until after 2010 has passed.”

The engineers and scientists all agree, however, that the best advice for those who may experience this phenomenon is to stay with their families as much as possible. This seems to temper the effects and makes more meaningful the time that is actually experienced.

Roy, as the primary discoverer of this phenomenon, is expected to travel to Washington, D.C. in the spring to receive the Nobel Prize in Temporal Science, but he admits that this phenomenon may prevent that experience.

Christmas Eve Eve

Random post. Fair warning.

So it's the day before Christmas Eve and things around the house are settling into a fine holiday daze. The kids have been off school since last week, and are alternately stir-crazy with boredom or so anxious for Christmas to come that they can hardly stand it. Many have been the discussions about whether each of the kids has ended up on Santa's "Naughty List" or his "Nice List" -- taunting each other about the former, but deep down believing they're on the latter.

Now that I'm mostly home for the Christmas break, my children have different approaches of utilizing my presence. My younger son finds new and interesting ways to make me feel guilty for not being able to spend all my time playing Legos with him. My daughter doesn't seem to care about my presence one way or the other, so long as her reading time isn't interrupted. My oldest son? He spends his days trying to figure out some way to convince me or his mother to let him play video games all the time.

My wife will have them doing all sorts of crafts and other yearly traditions tomorrow, but for now things are pretty settled. We've got Christmas music going in the background, and I've been trying to wrap up my work responsibilities for the next few weeks. My wife is upstairs downloading even more Christmas music from whatever free sites she can find, and we're all just happy to hang out together. We've been playing board games (the non-electronic kind, much to the dismay of my older son), and my wife has been engaging the kids in baking (and eating) and doing crafts.

Truly it's good times. To me, though, it is odd that the kids will never know in their youth what it means to live in a place where it snows a lot, and gets miserably cold, and you have to worry about your car starting, and shovel the walk, and get to eat icicles (while their parents tell them not to), and walk to school in the snow (or just walk to school), and go sliding down a frozen driveway, and get so cold you can't feel your fingers, and build snow forts, and have massive snow fights, and build snow caves and igloos (really, few people can actually do this, but I did when I was a kid!), and have to take extra shoes with you to school so you could change out of your soggy boots, and goof off in the snow.

But they will know what it's like to do absolutely nothing, and watch Christmas movies, and sit in front of a fire, and drink a lot of hot cocoa, and read books during down time, and just be together as a family. And you know what? That's okay with me.

Fathers Day 2009

My Father's Day yesterday was pretty good. I was able to keep church meetings to a minimum and spent most of my time with the family. Breakfast was a smashing success, as my wife had baked French bread and made French toast with it. It was divine, and it's amazing that she did it all from scratch. My children were pretty well behaved during sacrament meeting, in comparison to some Sundays, and then I was able to attend some very good lessons. After church, I was able to go home and play games with the kids and my wife made me a great hamburger for dinner. For dessert, she made a wonderful brownie thingy that was cooked so that the bottom turned into a pudding. She wasn't so happy with it, but I quite liked it.

As is typical, I did get a tie for the blessed occasion, but this time it was a hand-decorated tie with my three children's favorite colors. My oldest likes blue, my middle child likes pink, and my youngest likes purple. It was great, and I have no doubt that one of these days I'll miss getting these kinds of gifts.

I was able to relax on the couch soaking my feet, watching some TV and reading the paper. By and large, the kids were pretty good, though often I wonder when my oldest will learn to act his age. It was kind of a weird day, though. It was relaxing, for sure, but I'm not quite convinced it was restful. There's just so much looming in the next few days that I can't quite shut it all off and chill out.

Ten Things About My Wedding

The anniversary of my wedding to my beautiful wife is tomorrow. Unfortunately, I am far away on a business trip at the moment, but have some time to contemplate the last eleven years of our marriage. In a nutshell, it's been wonderful. We've had many amazing ups, and a few slight downs, but on the whole we seem to be perfectly matched to each other. After eleven years, we're still going strong, and looking forward to each and every day together.

So, while I'm in a reminiscent mood, I thought I'd think back to our wedding all those years ago. So, without further ado, here are ...

10 Interesting Things About My Wedding
-1) I slept in. And still made it on time. My wife, on the other hand, woke up early and was the beneficiary of her great-childhood-friend-and-hairstylist's talents, spending hours doing her hair. I think I combed my hair in 10 seconds. Sometimes it's really great to be the guy.
-2) My wife and I got married in the Jordan River Temple. It was performed by a sealer who holds the priesthood of God to "bind on earth [that which] shall be bound in heaven." I don't remember his name. It's not really that important -- his priesthood authority was. It's probably on the wedding certificate somewhere.
-3) When I arrived at the temple, I recall being confused about where to go to get dressed for the ceremony, and finally had to ask somebody. My wife, on the other hand, had many women swirling around her every step of the way. Sometimes it's really great to be the girl. It's all good, though. I had the time, and eventually figured it out.
-4) Just prior to the wedding, my soon-to-be wife and I were put in a side room, just her and I, and told to contemplate what we were about to do. I think that little bit of drama was just silly.
-5) I don't remember very much of the wedding itself -- not the room we were in, who was there (well, I remember a few people ...), or what was said. I'm a guy, so you can forgive me for not remembering all these little details. What I do vividly remember, however, is kneeling with my wife and holding her hand. She was stunningly beautiful.
-6) Both of our fathers served as the witnesses. I was honored to have them both there in that capacity, and grateful. They are two very good men.
-7) My wife's brother was our photographer (and did an amazing job), but he was so intent on getting good pictures after the ceremony that he actually kept us out in the sun for hours. My wife had a sunburn on her chest from the scalloped lace of her wedding dress that blistered over the next few days, and since her skin retains a tan line wherever she burns, that scalloped shape was visible on her chest for almost a year.
-8) My brother and his family showed up for family pictures in street clothes. My mother was furious.
-9) Also, because her brother kept us so long, we were late to our wedding lunch. By the time we got there, everybody was done eating, and we were only able to snack on what was left. To make matters worse, we were so busy at the reception later that night that we didn't even get some of the wedding cake. After we left the reception center after 9 pm, absolutely famished, all the restaurants in town were closed (this was Utah, after all), and we ended up getting a burger from McDonalds because they were the only place we found that was open. How's that for a first dinner after being married? (Actually, it was a good burger ...)
-10) Months later, we were reviewing video taken during the reception and in the video we saw somebody hand me a check, which I slipped into my tuxedo's inner pocket. Both my wife and I realized at the same instant that I had left all the checks and money that people had handed me in the tuxedo, and they were lost -- no doubt hundreds of dollars of money we desperately could have used.

Despite all this, it seemed like the day went absolutely perfectly. Everybody "knew their places", so to speak, and things went very well. We didn't worry about timing, or who was where, or what people were doing. It was our day just to be together and to be the spotlight of attention as we began our journey together. I count myself very blessed to have suckered her into marrying me. What's crazy is that she thinks she suckered me into marrying her. Funny how that is.

It was truly a perfect wedding day. It may have been slightly overcast, and as it was early spring, the grass on the temple grounds was slightly brown, but that didn't matter to me in the least. I was with my wife, in the place we were supposed to be, when we were supposed to be there. We said all the right words, did all the right things, held hands practically the whole day, and were happy beyond any reasonable expectation.

The only thing more surprising about how happy we were then is that it just keeps getting better. To this day, she remains my best friend, and I am greatly blessed to have her in my life, as my wife, for eternity.

Christmas Decorations Are Stowed

Well, that's that - until next year - and my back hurts, like it does every year. I have a weak back naturally, and so have to be very cautious about picking up or carrying anything heavy. For the most part, I never, under any circumstances, carry my older children. This is particularly vexing to them when I spend some time swinging their younger brother around (who is a good 32 pounds these days). Their whining quickly turns to grumbling when I remind them curtly, "It will hurt my back!"

The problem with the Christmas decorations is that years ago we made the mistake of putting all the decorations into obscenely large moving boxes. These boxes store very well in our garage on the overhead shelves we have dangling from the ceiling. You can probably do the math here, but let me spell it out:

big box + heavy decorations + overhead lifting = sore back

Every year, I think to myself that it would make sense to get smaller boxes so that the decorations would be more easily managed. Then I never do; the big boxes just work so well. We have some large decorations that don't fit well into smaller boxes, and it's nice to keep all the Christmas lights in one place (which makes that box the heaviest ...). Even so, we should probably do something about that, and move all the decorations into smaller boxes. But not this year ... the decorations are already put away, and my back is sore.

Santa Being Burned

Today is Christmas Eve, and it's been filled with all of the usual kind of stuff. Mostly, we've just stayed home and played with the kids. My wife did brave the grocery store -- and I do mean brave -- to get some last minute things, but aside from that it's been a day of play.

We've played on the Wii, I played two abbreviated games of Monopoly with my oldest son, we've read books, we painted a few ceramic Christmas ornaments (my snowman turned out great!), and mostly we've just generally been lazy. It's been a great day.

This evening we held a "Family Home Evening" about the birth of Jesus Christ. We discussed both the New Testament story from Luke 2, and also The Book of Mormon account of Samuel the Lamanite's prophecy of the coming of Jesus and the subsequent fulfillment of the given signs. It was crazy and fun, but the kids just couldn't really focus on anything. Strangely enough, my oldest, whom you would think would be the most mature of the bunch, and is in the know, was the most out of control. He just would not focus on the message, which, of course, keyed up his siblings. All told, though, it was typical of our Christmas Eve experiences ...

My youngest, however, finally understood that tonight is the night that Santa comes. It didn't really sink in until late this evening. After it did, though, he came to me with a really concerned look on his face and said, "I don't want Santa to be burned."

"Burned?!" I asked, somewhat in alarm. "What do you mean by burned?"

"I don't want Santa to be burned!" he repeated.

At that moment, it occurred to me that he had finally connected all the Santa details together. Santa comes down the chimney! Santa delivers toys! Our fireplace has been burning all day long! Santa is going to be burned to a crisp! Clearly, he had connected the dots and was a little upset by it all.

I assured him, "Don't worry, we'll turn off the fire before Santa comes."

"Okay, Daddy!" he said, and bounded off happy.

Fun times!

Black Friday, Indeed

My wife stayed up way late on Thursday night figuring out what things she wanted to buy on "Black Friday". Her strategy was pretty much just to go online and buy things there, rather than to actually risk life and limb in any of the physical establishments. By and large, her approach worked. She stayed up, figuring out item numbers and shipping fees, etc. What vexed her the most was that the online prices for JC Penney didn't match the advertisement we received. So, no shopping from JC Penney; their bottom line will be closer to the red side because of that.

In fact, the only time she went out at all yesterday was to go to Walgreens where they were selling a particular item she wanted to pick up for Christmas gifts. With very few crowds, it seemed to be the "right" place to be to avoid the insanity.

The kids and I stayed home. All day. We put up Christmas lights all over the outside of the house, even in places we hadn't put them previously (the outside patio and the peak of the front of the house). We played on the Wii, played games, and just generally goofed off. It was awesome.

Our day was certainly better than this poor fellow's:

Stampeding Holiday Shoppers Trample Man at Wal-Mart

Thanksgiving Redux

I got up and went to the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving morning. I took my frisbee and cones in hopes of being able to play Ultimate Frisbee instead, and I had been assured there would be enough people there to play. It didn't really work out. Everybody showed up and decided they would rather play football first, then play Ultimate afterwards, which I knew translated to: "We'll play football now for two hours, then it will be too late and we'll be too tired to play Ultimate later." It wasn't worth my time to stick around waiting for that to happen, so I just gathered up my frisbee and my cones and came home.

I'm not really surprised. Many people said they'd like to play, and I know for a fact that many of the people who were there really like Ultimate, but there's just no way to compete with football on Thanksgiving morning. I was disappointed, but as I said, not really surprised. I could've joined the football game, too, but I decided my wife would prefer me home, and I didn't really want to play, anyway.

One nine-year-old little kid, the son of a big football fanatic, actually said that Ultimate was for wimps, or something like that. I kinda flew off the handle, and told everybody that Ultimate was a far more active sport than football, in which you spend 90% of the time standing around waiting for something to happen, and it requires a heck of a lot more effort to play Ultimate than it does to take 20 minutes to figure out where to throw the ball. Everybody quickly clammed up, and I think my point was well made. (Yeah, right. I'm realistic enough to know that the point received was: "This guy's crazy, don't say anything bad about Ultimate.")

Okay, I'm a little sore about the whole thing.

But the rest of the day was wonderful. My wife worked hard all day putting together an awesome meal. It was in keeping with our weight loss plan, and we didn't put on any weight as a result of it, yet it was a meal fit for a king. Everything was very tasty. We had turkey, rolls, stuffing, homemade (!) cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. For dessert we had apple pie (we ate the pumpkin pie the night before!). Everything was homemade and absolutely delicious. We got out the new fancy dinnerware and the pretty goblets, and opened a bottle of Martinelli's grape juice (um, not homemade). It was a wonderful meal. My wife is simply awesome for doing what she did.

The rest of the day we just goofed off. We watched a bit of TV (including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which the kids quickly grew bored with; and "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"), played games, and just generally goofed off. It's been the best holiday we've had in a very long time -- no plans, nowhere to go, and nobody to entertain (not that we don't like doing that at times ... it just takes the pressure off not to). It was just me, my wife, and the kids, doing nothing and enjoying each others company. It was a great day!

Thanksgiving Preview

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving. That means the following:

-- The Annual "Turkey" Bowl will begin at 8 am. This year, we'll be having an Ultimate Frisbee game on the side, for those who would rather do that. Since tomorrow will be the one year anniversary since the last football game I played where I broke my finger, I think I'll participate in the frisbee game instead. (Not that I wouldn't rather do that, anyway ... ) It's raining now, so it might be kinda soggy (though it should clear by then), but, being guys, it's still "game on!"
-- A big meal is planned, though with being on a diet, everything will pretty much be healthy. I think it will be a feast even so, because my wife is incredible and cooks really well.
-- We'll probably watch TV, maybe a parade, and play on the Wii most of the day.

It will be awesome.

And I'm not going to think about work or the economy or the rest of the world at large. It's just me, my family, and a whole lot of goofing off (in between cooking and cleaning).

Pioneer Day

It's Pioneer Day! July 24th. I grew up in Utah where the 24th of July is a state holiday. Throughout the state, the holiday is celebrated in ways very similar to that of Independence Day, with fireworks, parades, and barbecues. It always seemed to me like "The 4th of July, Part 2". It was great!

Now, however, I live in southern California. While there is a 24th of July (get it?), it isn't Pioneer Day around here. When we first moved here, we were pleased that the church would still have activities to celebrate the occasion. Where we live now, our stake used to put on a big affair, with a 5k run (which I participated in once -- taking 3rd!), an old-time country band, and a fine breakfast. In the past several years, we've noticed that the attendance kept shrinking, and this year, they decided not to do anything. It makes me sad, as it's something special and unique that I will miss; it is like a part of my youth is now gone that can't be relived anymore.

Ironically, now that I'm a little older, I'm learning much more about my own pioneer ancestors, and am gaining an appreciation for the tremendously difficult task that it was for them to make a living where none had settled before. These ancestors of mine left behind a tremendous legacy of hard work, religious dedication, and family values that I hope to instill within my own children. I just wish I could do so while attending parades and watching fireworks on the 24th of July, which to me will always be Pioneer Day (oh, and my brother's birthday ... ;) ).

4th of July

This last Friday (the 4th of July) we had my wife's sister's family staying with us. It was a great time, and we troubled them to go to our local parade. The parade itself doesn't really well-compare to what I grew up with (big military vehicles rolling down the street, beauty queens throwing gobs of candy ...), but it was still nice to go and watch everything go by.


I was surprised at the fact that there were no bands marching in the parade, and the liveliest group that went by was from a local church who were blasting music and goofing off in the street. (Knowing what little I do about them, I'm guessing they had nearly their entire congregation walking down the street!) For our local parade, towards the end it really turns into the "local businesses getting free advertising" parade, so we eventually left when that became utterly apparent. With the temperatures soaring and the sun beating down, we were ready to go anyway.

The rest of the day we just hung out together as a family, having a barbecue and socializing. With our three kids and their four boys, the house was quite loud, but it was sure great to have them. We don't have family stay with us very often since they all live at least two states away, and it's always a pleasure when they do.

That night, we went over to the local mall to watch the fireworks. It was nothing short of awesome! We went to the "center court" outside the mall and took our lawn chairs. With the fireworks launched just a few buildings away, we were up close and personal. The force of the blasts from the fireworks literally shook our bodies. The sound from the fireworks echoed off the walls of the mall behind us so that we would first see the fireworks, a fraction of a second later hear/feel the blast, then a fraction of a second later we'd hear the echoing reply. It was loud enough to keep even the MP3-playing-hearing-impaired nephews content. The display was spectacular and there were some I'd never seen before.

It was a great day!

Out on Vacation

To all my loyal readers (all three of you ...): I haven't written this past week because my family was on vacation in Utah. I've got plenty of stories to tell, including stories about a bender-fender, the stomach flu, over-sized Christmas gifts, sledding and the amazing flying boy, family get-togethers, and my own personal feelings about snow and ice. But alas, I can't sit here for three hours typing since my kids are pulling on my leg, my wife wants to go shopping, and I've got Christmas toys to play with. Nevertheless, I really do want to record these stories, so they will be trickling in over the next few days.

In any case, if I haven't said it before, I'll say it now: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

First Day of Vacation

Today is the first full day of my Christmas vacation! I won't be working until the 7th of January, so I have over two weeks to chill out and be with my family! I am so excited. Of course, we have plenty of plans, but if we don't get to any of them, I'm not going to care too much ... I'm on vacation!

We do have planned to go to Six Flags as many times as we can muster while our season passes are still good. We'd like to go down to the L.A. Temple to see the Christmas lights. We want to take a walk over to a street nearby that is all decked out in Christmas lights. We need to make some goodies and take them around to families we'd like to visit. We are going to Utah to visit with both sides of our family. These are all our plans, but if we don't get to them, oh, well! I'm on vacation! (Well, maybe the Utah trip needs to happen ...)

It should be a nice couple of weeks, assuming the kids don't fight the whole time. Of course, I am on-call for work through next Wednesday ... I'm hoping everything goes smoothly with my spacecraft so that I don't get a call.

It's just astonishing that Christmas is in 4 days! My wife and I spent last night wrapping gifts and watching Stargate. It's amazing how much stuff we've accumulated to give away to people -- most of it we have to haul to Utah. Lots of fun! I'm on vacation!

Pre-Holiday Doldrums

Do you ever get the pre-holiday doldrums? At work, my productivity has tanked. It's not even my fault, either. Everybody that I need to talk to that has that one piece of information I need to make some forward progress is either already on vacation, or already mentally on vacation. This means that I have spent pretty much the whole day moving items from today's to-do list to January. The few things that I actually could do, I can't do because others have come to me to get that one piece of information that they need to make some progress, and they need it right now before the holiday.

So now today is wrapping up and I am left with just one more workday (tomorrow) to get everything done that really needs to get done before my Christmas vacation. I don't have much hope that anything will really get accomplished, but honestly, who cares?! Nobody else around here does, and my work will be here when I get back. My biggest fear is that management will make bad decisions in the first week of January that I will need to wrestle with when I return the second week of January. What a wonderful thought on which to leave on vacation ...

A New Annual Tradition - The Cookie Exchange

Two years ago, my wife threw a little party and invited practically every woman we knew from the ward. It was a cookie exchange where everybody was to bring three dozen cookies and a Christmas tree ornament. They sat around in a big circle and exchanged the ornaments white-elephant style while munching on cookies. Everybody took home a big plate of assorted cookies having enjoyed a nice time visiting.

Well, my wife did it again last year and it went very well. And so this year she felt somewhat obligated to do it again. It's now a new yearly tradition that several of the women in the ward really look forward to. It's funny, she held it the first time so she could get to know the rest of the ward, and now she's "stuck" doing it every year. One of the women in the ward actually purchased her ornament to exchange before my wife had even sent out the invites!

Now, my wife enjoys holding the exchange, but I can tell she feels a little pressured to keep it going every year. To add to her frustration, she sent out 46 announcements this year, and only 9 people showed up! It just turned out to be a really bad night to hold a party. Nevertheless, I believe it still went very well. The women who came seemed to enjoy themselves, the ornament exchange game went well, and there were plenty of good cookies to go around.

The funny part is that throwing the party is actually quite easy -- all my wife needs to do is distribute the announcements, get the house cleaned (which she can delegate, unfortunately), and bake three dozen cookies. Nevertheless, she still feels pressure to try to make it go absolutely perfectly.

In any case, I believe it's a wonderful thing she does -- a nice, informal party where some of the women from the ward who don't normally get the chance to come to these sorts of things can come and enjoy the friendship of the other women. It's a great thing, and I'm grateful she does it (and I like the cookies, too!).