Mick Blog

NEW BLOG!

2009-12-14T22:49:00.001-07:00

To Anyone Who Actually Still Checks This Blog...

I'm here now....and I'm never returning to Blogger again....

Check out the new goods! See you soon!

You need to read this...

2009-12-14T09:36:00.003-07:00

I just found this "article" (I'm not sure if "article" is the right word...) and it is worth your/our time. I've yet to finish it, so I can't recommend the entire thing (yet), but will soon finish.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/what-matters-now-get-the-free-ebook.html

Also, and on another note, I will be moving this blog somewhere new, with a new name, design, and with new content and a little bit different direction. More to come on that front...

BJM

Maddie Downtown...

2009-08-08T15:15:00.002-06:00

We had a few minutes before a family reunion so Madelyn and I ran downtown for a really short photo-shoot. She'll come out of her room after getting dressed and say, "Dad, look how cute I look! We should go take pictures!"

Memorial Day Morning Photoshoot

2009-05-25T16:26:00.004-06:00

Ashley and I had the idea to do a morning shoot in her pajamas. So, before we got started on our day celebrating those who have safeguarded our freedoms, we ran down the road and spent about 15 minutes shooting.

Our Daughters

2009-05-02T19:49:00.003-06:00

J spent a good part of today baking two Strawberry-Rhubarb Pies, from the ground, up (literally). She grew rhubarb, harvested some this afternoon, and baked the pies. So, here is a picture of Ashley. You tell me if you think she helped Janese at all with the pies, or if she sat in her room and read books all day:

Also, this was Madelyn's outfit for going out in the rain to make a delivery with Janese. I promise there are shorts under that raincoat...

Here is another from the same shoot..

2009-04-25T21:37:00.004-06:00

Madelyn is actually really, really looking forward to the day she gets to go to school. This picture does not show that, and that is probably why I like it. We had a lot of dun shooting these...more to come, I'm sure...

I could not resist posting this shot...

2009-04-25T19:45:00.003-06:00

Maddie and I drove around town looking for a couple places to take a few shots. We got a bunch of great ones, but I could not help posting this one early. I have been trying to get the colors like this for months, but I just couldn't figure out the editing behind it. Finally, finally I figured it out. In fact, I guessed, and lucked out. I don't care, it worked out. So, here it is (you might want to click on it for a much better view):

Easter (a bit late)

2009-04-20T21:22:00.004-06:00

A few days before Easter we colored eggs. Little Will isn't in any pics because he was napping (which is why we were able to color the eggs in the first place...).

Reading Scriptures, anywhere...

2009-04-17T19:53:00.001-06:00

AE and JCREW and randoms

2009-04-12T20:10:00.002-06:00

Kid in the Road...

2009-04-04T15:34:00.002-06:00

Ash's B-day

2009-03-23T20:53:00.002-06:00

We are celebrating a little early....This was Ashley's face prior to the McDonald's trip...

Wants to stay in here Sunday Dress all day...

2009-03-01T20:33:00.002-07:00

Usually you have to convince children to stay in their Sunday clothes instead and putting on grubbies when church is over. Not Mads. She would stay in her dress all day if we let her. In fact, she did just that today...

Will's week-old pics...

2009-02-14T12:44:00.003-07:00

Well....a little more than a week. Catching him asleep in the day is no problem...I'd love to get a picture of him sleeping at night, but that doesn't happen as much....

Ashley was put in a GAP ad!!!

2009-02-09T18:18:00.002-07:00

Thought we'd share the big news! Ashley was put in one of the newest GAP ads that should come out soon. They sent us a copy of the ad...

To see the background on this little story, click here...

Apparently I am NOT a newborn photographer....

2009-02-08T13:33:00.002-07:00

I'll tell you what...this wasn't a very fun picture to get. I was so excited to do a little newborn photography, but after a bunch of work, screaming (him, not me), crying (me, not him...kidding) and picture snapping, I finally pulled this off. I thought it would be easier. Not so much...

Our Newest Arrival!!!

2009-02-05T15:30:00.004-07:00

Please welcome our little Will into the world! Janese and I went to the hospital on Wednesday for the planned C-Section. Everything went very, very smoothly. No racing tot he hospital in the snow like last time. No labor pains. No feeling like we're in the middle of an emergency. Everything just went pretty darn smoothly. Our family is really grateful. Here are a few pics from the first few minutes of life:

We've named him WIlliam, though we'll call him "Will" (unless I'm in lecture-mode)...He was 7 lbs. 9 oz., 20 inches long, a little more hair than the other four children and a nice, sleepy, happy, content disposition...for now...

Just a Couple Days Away...

2009-01-31T08:24:00.004-07:00

Janese and I decided to do a quick maternity shoot before little #5 arrives...

Good News and Bad News...

2009-01-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ok...so there really isn't any good news. I just didn't want to be a pessimist.

Here it is...$1600-$1800....that is how much it will cost to get the data off of my hard drive....I just got the phone call.

I suppose you could say, "Wait, Brian. There is good news. At least they can get the data from the drive. It could be worse..." Yes. I'm sure it could be worse. It could cost $1900 or $2000 to get it. So, yes, you're right. It could be worse. Stop messing with me.

The truth is...we'll probably shell out the cash. There are pictures on there that really can't be found anywhere else. So maybe we'll just take a few months and save up. The data isn't going anywhere. This summer we'll take the drive back to the data recovery people and get it done.

New Year's Resolution: Back up my stuff often.

Mickelson, out....

I'm finished vomitting...

2009-01-01T12:58:00.004-07:00

I hope that is how you spell "vomitting". I'm not sure it is a word that I've used that often, so I'm not sure of the spelling. Anyhow...

I'm better now. I'm not fine with the whole hard-drive debacle, but I'll live. I did have a new hard-drive installed and I am studying up on the best ways to back up my "stuff". Just remember, moving your data from your hard drive to another drive isn't technically backing anything up. That's just moving the data. Your data needs to be in at least two places at the same time...

I did find this picture on my camera, along with a few others. I just edited this a few minutes ago. Hopefully I'll get all of 2008's images back in the next few weeks.

Also, here is a little secret something I'm working on for a family. They don't know about it (unless they follow this blog) and it isn't really a big deal, but I'm excited to do it...

"I think I'm gonna be sick..."

2008-12-31T14:08:00.002-07:00

Let the following post serve as a WARNING to the rest of you. If you are reading this post (the 3 of you who still follow...) you are obviously geeky enough to use a computer and so you probably also keep files on your own computer. Stuff like pictures, movies, music, blah, blah...If this describes you -- listen up...

Yesterday my hard drive crashed (crashed, burned, broke, got hashed, whatever you'd like to call it) and with the death of my hard drive went every singe picture I have taken since December of 2007. Yes...every client photo-shoot, and every single picture I've taken of my wife and children. Not only those, but audio "interviews" I've done with my children, papers my children have written for school, my entire iTunes library. All of it. Gone.

Here is the news that stinks the most. I didn't back anything up. Ok, I did back up a few things. I backed up all of the pictures I took prior to November 2007 (a total of about 8000 images) which sounds pretty decent, but I've taken a ton of images in 2008. And edited many of them.

I feel sick about this...sick.

Now...there is a possibility of recovering some or all of this data. It will cost a minimum of $300 but probably more around the $500 to $800 mark. I hate that, but am willing to pay it.

Here's the lesson: Back up your data. That means put what you care about on an external hard drive. Do it regularly. The last time I backed up my data was November 2007. My external hard drive sits in my computer desk area and I think about backing things up all the time. If I had backed up my data weekly, I wouldn't have any problem. I'd pay $80 to have a new hard drive installed and I'd re-load all of my data and would have no problem.

So, there. Happy New Year...

I'm baaaa-aaaack....

2008-12-06T18:38:00.005-07:00

Well, that real nice...

I haven't published anything here in about a month...mostly because I don't have anything to say. I'm tapped. Out.

Not that nothing has happened. Plenty has happened. Maybe that's why I haven't taken any time to post. All I have is this...

Today we celebrated Janese's mother's birthday out at J's brother's house (That's a lot of apostrophes). While there the kids were able to ride a little horse around the property. Everyone had a great time on the horse...well...except Ashley. Here's the proof:

Now, here's Ashley's picture:

Whie she was riding the horse tripped over a rock and stumbled just a little. The horse wasn't spooked, but Ashley was. And she wouldn't get back on. And won't get back on...ever (she says).

UPDATE: Google stinks because they won't make this blog look the way I want. I may never, ever post anything again. And I'm kind of relieved to say it.

Halloween!!!

2008-11-01T10:20:00.004-06:00

Janese dressed up as a pregnant lady (it was easy...), Landon was the Grim Reaper, PJ was Darth Vadar, Ashley was cow, and Mads was a flower...I didn't dress up, so I decided to "dress" my picture up. Sorry to those of you who are a little sensitive to blood.

Jack-O-Lanterns

2008-10-29T19:54:00.003-06:00

Our family used FHE to go and get pumpkins and carve the up! Nothing better than free pumpkins...

A New Way of Telling the Story

2008-10-15T23:33:00.005-06:00

Ashley and I have been discussing a way to do a little photo shoot involving her ballet interest. So, we spent a few days trying to determine the best way to take the pictures, what to wear, what "props" would be best, etc. She was cute and "professional" about the whole thing. What we got turned out so great....it is worth checking out...

Click Here for Ashley's Ballet Photo-Shoot

Before you click...this gallery doesn't scroll up and down, it scrolls left to right. Get it? Left-to-right! Also, there are 3 pages of pics, so click on the "more" button at the far right of each page to see more....makes sense, no?

The Ladies...

2008-10-11T18:09:00.001-06:00

As They Are III....

2008-10-06T19:31:00.003-06:00

I got a new lens today. I realize this should be on the BJM Photography Blog, but the pics are of my own children, not a sneak peek for a family....so here they will be.

The lens is a 35mm 2.0 Nikon lens...so nice. I got a pretty decent deal on Amazon and it arrived today. I couldn't wait to get it out of the box and onto the camera for some test shots. Of course, in the spirit of catching the children in their everyday moments, I just grabbed whoever would come and started snapping. I eventually got everyone (but myself)....

There was really very little editing here. I shot in RAW mode, did a little adjusting for white balance and contrast (very little), changed to 72 ppi, cropped to 8x10 and sharpened. Nothing else. Nice. So it only took about 7 or 8 minutes once I got into the house. The shooting itself only took about 5 minutes. This is how I like it...

Sisters

2008-10-01T20:41:00.003-06:00

I don't have much time right now, but I had to post this one...I did a shoot last weekend in Park City and caught this wonderful picture of two sweet sisters studying a slug...

Yes. A slug. This was the perfect cross between sweet little princesses and a couple of tom-boys.

More of this family to come!!!

As They Are II....

2008-09-22T21:02:00.003-06:00

PJ was having soccer practice and Ash was playing on the jungle-gym...So I raced home to grab the camera a take a few shots.

As They Are...

2008-09-19T19:37:00.004-06:00

Here's the thing. Quite often, I'll think of a photo shoot to do with one of my children. I'll find a spot, a certain light. Then I'll think of the child that would fit the "moment" and I'll race home only to find that particular child with pizza sauce all over his or her face. A bruise on a leg. Messed up clothes. And no real desire to clean up for a photoshoot (who would?).

At that point I begin to feel a little melancholy because we don't have enough pictures of our children...

Not anymore...

Why have I been making things so hard and complicated? There is nothing wrong with nice, clean, posed pictures. But I am gravitating toward "lifestyle photography". People might have a different definition of lifestyle portrature than I do, but I want more pictures of my children as they are. My children are not usually dressed up in their best all day, with clean faces, no bruises, perfectly combed hair...they are in the middle of having some type of adventure at almost any given time of the day. That is what I want memories of.

So, in that spirit...

From here on out, I'm grabbing the camera, whatever lens I feel like grabbing, and one of the children. Now combing, brushing, straightening, changing...We're just going out in the middle of the road and shooting.

I used the Nikon d80, the 20mm 2.8 prime lens, shot in manual mode (images were taken in the RAW format) with the white balance set to "cloudy". The ISO was at 250. No flash (ever). And I shot a total of 7 images. 2 of the images were almost duplicates of what I posted here. It took all of about 3 minutes for the entire shoot. I then came inside and ran the RAW images through Adobe's Camera Raw image editor. Lightened the exposure a bit and warmed each image. I pumped the contrast ever so slightly (don't overdue this one) and sent the images to Photoshop. In photoshop I switched the mode to 8-bit, made the images black and whites, added a bit more contrast to the B/W's, and then sharpened using my own little action.

It sounds like a lot of steps, but it only took me about 10 more minutes at the computer until now....

Now...I will make them "pose" periodically for a few more formal shots throughout the year. But by and large, we're "amping" down on the "Smile!" moments for awhile.

Stuff I Used to Believe...

2008-08-23T08:54:00.004-06:00

Periodically it is brought to my attention that I used to believe some things that were pretty dumb when I was a kid...for example:

I used to think "water" in Latin (or Greek...I didn't know there was a difference) was "Aquas Tapis" (thanks to my dad...)

I thought I had eyes that were better than everyone else's. I thought I could see much better than the average human. I was sure I could find lost items better than anyone. I think it stems fro a time when I found something my mom dropped in the car and she said, "Wow. You have eyes like a hawk!" And, to take it a step further, I was sure I could see air. Yes, I said air. I would rub my eyes and then I could see those little floaty things for a few minutes while my eyes were "coming out of it". I was sure that was air.

I used to think that when my favorite professional football team lost a game, it was because God was trying to teach me a lesson. Yes, Sunday night football was set up to teach me a lesson. Me.

I thought I could drink water faster than most other people. I was in the kitchen drinking a glass of water with Paul Muckinsterm and I finished a little quicker than he did. So I said (in a very authoritative and scientific voice), "I was born 'fast-drinker'". I said that last part--"fast-drinker"--the way Tonto would have said it to the Lone Ranger on TV. Apparently I believed stereotypes as well.

When I was in grade school, I thought that if I ran fast enough during recess my feet would raise up off of the ground like I was floating. It made sense. I'd run really fast and my clothes would provide enough of an updraft that I'd get off of the ground just a little. And I thought it happened a few times but was too afraid to tell anyone. I was sure they wouldn't have believed me.

I thought that if I slept with the covers over my ears, I wouldn't be able to hear if there was an explosion in my house and I'd die in the fiery inferno.

I went for a little while thinking that I thought of the internet before it was invented. When I was in fourth grade (about 1981 or so) I would daydream about having a little house in the classroom where I would work on my school work. When my work was done, I would magically mail it to the teacher's desk. Then she would magically mail my score back. So, maybe I did think of the internet first. At lease I beat Al Gore.
So that's something.

Sometimes I thought that if I watched my favorite teams on TV, they would win, and if I didn't, they would lose. So I would sit there, kinda praying for God to smile upon the 49'ers, and not using the bathroom until a commercial so that I didn't let Joe Montana down.

I used to think that the Prophet wore robes and walked around Temple Square with his hands in that steeple position (I don't know what else to call it) and that when he received a revelation, he would do it by closing his eyes, cocking his head to the side and humming. There was really no basis for that belief of mine, I just figured that was how it was.

I used to think that the most important invention one could make would be to create a plastic dinosaur that an adult could fit into, and drive around, really slowly. The legs would move really slowly and the person could look out of the eyes, nose, or mouth of the great beast. Then I would picture myself driving it slowly around Vacaville impressing all of my neighbors.

I used to walk home from elementary school trying to outsmart God by pretending I was going to step on a certain place on the sidewalk, then quickly changing my mind and stepping somewhere else. I tried to do it randomly so that God could not read my mind. So God would be like, "Hey, I thought Brian was going to the left, but apparently he stepped to the right. Wow, he tricked Me." Then, if I did that enough times in a row, He wouldn't know where I was. It made walking home quite an ordeal at times.

I thought most girls were thinking about me instead of their work when I was in sixth grade. So I would sometimes make my face look a certain way while I sat in my desk so that the girls would think that I looked like a movie star. I would try to look dark and mysterious (the way girls would like a guy to look). I suppose, in hindsight, I was wrong about that.

My parents told me that the bushes in our backyard were poisonous (not all of them, just a certain clump of them). I was nervous that if I went into the bushes to retrieve a ball that I might get stabbed by one of the branches, be instantly poisoned, and die before I could get out to get help. I know my brother Jon believed some version of this, too, because he always held his breath when he went in after the ball. I would make fun of him but was secretly glad he did it because I didn't want him to die. He was fun to play with.

***UPDATE*** That bush was poisonous. I just checked Wikipedia. Read the article down where they talk about toxicity. Now that I know this, it makes me wonder why my parents had me and my brothers cut all of the bushed out, stack the branches and carry them away. None of us brothers wore shirts during the job. We could have been stabbed by a branch while not wearing shirts. I don't think my parents were being very careful that day.

This last one wasn't really a false-belief or anything. Just something I used to do. When no one was home I would lock all of the doors, go outside, and try to figure out ways to break in to my own home. Then, after failing, I'd wait in the backyard for someone with a key to get home. Doing that, I thought, would make my a better problem solver.

There's probably more, but I can't recall any of them right now.

Pajamas

2008-08-23T08:50:00.003-06:00

Nothing works better than soft, awesome pajamas to get Maddie to hit the sack when the time comes. I don't know where Janese picked these up, but Mads sure loves them.

It was just a bit cool for pictures this morning, but she was a trooper (for the 2 minutes it took to get the pictures)...

First Newborn Session...

2008-08-07T22:11:00.001-06:00

You'll find it here...I was nervous! there are only a few pictures up from the session, but I'll add more soon...

Clear Creek Camping Trip...

2008-07-24T22:34:00.004-06:00

Yes, we've been to Santa Cruz and then Janese and I spent a week in Hawaii, but I just took some pictures of our camping trip to Clear Creek and they were so easy to edit that I'm posting these first...I'll get to the other stuff later...

Click on each image for a much better view...

Worst Fight Scene in a Movie...

2008-07-10T17:06:00.004-06:00

...goes to "The Next Karate Kid" (the one with Hilary Swank as a nine-year-old or something).

We borrowed this movie from our friends around the corner (and I'm grateful...) and Janese was getting tired of me mocking every other scene and laughing when I think I was supposed to be wringing my hands and wondering who was going to get chopped or "Craned" or "grasshoppered" or whatever. So we get to the end of the movie (spoiler warning: they all die) and there is the final, majestic fight scene extravaganza finale with Mr. Sgt. Kesuke Miyagi battling Colonel Dugan (I don't know this guy's name, but this was the worst acting of his career, hopefully). All of the other characters had fought each other and the girl had praying-mantis kicked the main bad-guy-kid, so Mr. Miyagi decided it was time to finish off the "other guys" (and probably the movie series) with one final battle.

They "fought". I felt like I was watching two old men play chess in Mile-Square Park. Except there would have been more action in the chess match. Now I wish the movie would have been about chess and not karate. Not quite the Bourne movies...

Rule #1...

2008-06-21T18:33:00.003-06:00

I suppose this is why I never say, "Smile!" before snapping a picture. Especially with Maddie. I thought other photographers were kidding when they say that they never ask their subjects to "smile" at any point, but now I get it.

No more, "smile..."-ing.

But it is kinda cute.

Now on to other business.

There have been a few comments on the last post with people telling me that stuff like that happens to everyone. That's nice to say. But it sure seems like it happens to me more than most. Case in point:

When Janese and I were dating, we jumped into J's car to go and visit her sister. On the way, we had to stop into the apartment office so that I could pay my rent. I jumped out of the car and ran in to the office. Rent paid, I ran back out. Feeling all "in love" and stuff, I decided to bound down the long steps as opposed to step down the long steps (the steps were about 3 feet deep each).

My foot landed half on and half off of the second to last step and I bucked, crumbled, and rolled the rest of the way, becoming wedged between the curb and the front tire of J's car. Janese didn't rush out of the car all concerned like a girlfriend is supposed to. She just sat in the car and laughed.

That was about fifteen years ago, and stuff like that has been happening ever since. So, please...don't patronize me...

Apparently, I'm Dainty...

2008-06-18T22:01:00.005-06:00

I just had one of those moments that, every time I think about it, I get shivers of embarrassment. Dang-it! Here's what happened:

There's this guy who is an assistant coach on Landon's baseball team. So we're both assistant coaches. Great. The guy, we'll call him Steve, is about as intimidating looking as you can be. His head is shaved, he has a tatoo, his goatee is four inches long, his ears are pierced. Steve really, really looks like he should be driving a huge Harley to every game (maybe he has one, I don't know...).

But the thing is- he's as nice a guy as you'd want coaching your son. He is very positive with the kids, he doesn't show any favoritism, and he takes a lot of time to teach the basics of baseball. Very likable guy. But he looks really, really, really tough. He doesn't just look tough; I'm sure he is tough. But nice, too.

So, after the game (which we won, by the way...) my family is walking to our vehicles, and Steve is walking with us. All of the sudden he puts his hand up, like he is either going to slap my five, or shake my hand. But, it isn't going to be a normal handshake. It is going to be one of those handshakes you do if you are naturally tough. The guys in the picture belowe are doing it (I think). Maybe they're arm-wrestling, but this is the basic idea:

Typically, this handshake is used by people playing sports, or people in gangs, or people who are confidant. The handshake is sometimes followed up by bumping knuckles. I'm sure this is what Steve was doing, because he is the type of person who should do it. And I've always thought I was, too. Until now.

I think the handshake caught my off guard. So, rather than smack my hand up against his and do that one-squeeze-and-one-shake-let-go-then-bump-knuckles thing, I barely got my hand into position. In fact, I really didn't get my hand into position. So instead of having an equally balanced, man-handshake, I placed my small, soft, dainty hand in a lady-like position as if Steve was helping me out of my horse-drawn carriage so I wouldn't trip over my long, velvet dress. It looked a lot like this:

And this...

What made matters worse was that my wife saw, my children probably saw, and Steve looked at me like I expected him to bow, say, "m'Lady" and kiss my pasty-white, smallish, un-caloused hand. I couldn't fix it. I tried. The handshake was over.

Luckliy he didn't say anything, but man do I wonder what he was thinking. Or is thinking. Every time I picture my little hand in the upright, lady-like, please-help-my-so-I-don't-stumble-out-of-my-carriage-and-tear-my-corset position I want to puke.

How can I go to practice tomorrow?

Baseball, pt. II...

2008-06-16T22:13:00.004-06:00

These days, we skip taking the typical sports pictures. I kinda miss them, but I enjoy taking our own. Better prices...

I used a new lens to catch this one of Landon during our quick baseball picture session in our back yard. I love it. Plus, I've forgotten how much I enjoyed playing baseball as a kid. My parents came to every game. It was always hot (well, most of the time...Keating Park could get a little cold and windy on Saturday nights). I loved sunflower seeds and HubbaBubba chewing gum. My old mitt smelled like salt, dirt, and grass. My batting gloves were always worn in the same places. Coach Millward, Coach Bill, Coach Danny, Coach Perron (T-ball)...Good times.

Landon and Parker seem to enjoy it, and hopefully the girls will, too. Coaching has been enjoyable and I find myself yelling the same types of things my coaches yelled. Maybe all coaches yell the same things?:

"Nice and easy! You got this!"

"Right down the pipe!"

"Give it a ride!"

"Way to be patient!"

"Good eye!"

"Where's the play, guys?"

"Way to be alert!"

"What the...?! What kind of call was that?! You didn't see how low that pitch was?! Are you blind? That was a ball! Gimme a break! You're blind!!! I could see that was a ball from here, and I wasn't even watching!!! Seriously...."

Ahhhh...another relaxing summer of baseball....

Baseball...aka, "Parker, Pitcher"

2008-06-10T22:28:00.003-06:00

There are probably 1000 things technically wrong with this picture...except for how great it is! This just catches Parker's "essence" which is the great thing about photography.

Parker played great tonight. He hit very, very well. He played catcher and pitcher. He had a great attitude. And all of this in the middle of February-like weather. The wind blew, the temps fell, the clouds rolled in and out all evening...But he smiled through all of it.

I got a number of great shots, but I just loved this one the best (so far)...

I Don't Know How to Explain This...

2008-06-10T17:42:00.003-06:00

All I sad was, "Hey Hun, come outside real quick so I can practice taking some pictures with this particular lighting..." and what I got was, well, this...

There is probably a lesson in this about marriage...but I just don't know what it is...

Yards...

2008-06-07T21:15:00.004-06:00

I mowed, and weed-shwacked, the lawn this morning. It bugs a little because we didn't take much care to plant "great" grass when we did it and now our lawn never looks that good. And, our lawn isn't too mower-friendly because I'm always having to mow around trees, plants, etc.

On the other hand, Janese has spent quite a bit of time planting things that she and her friend Jennifer pick up from...well...I'm not sure of all the places they've been in the past few years to get plants. So, the flower beds at both homes always look very nice. Plus, Janese weeds like crazy. I'm not sure if she likes it or not, but she does it a lot. I enjoy weeding the vegatable garden beds because I get to think about testimonies and repentance and other stuff like that. The boys and I were out weeding this morning (after mowing) and we got to talking about how weeds were like sins and the earlier we get those out of the garden the easier it is for the good "stuff" to grow. It was nice to have a little teaching moment.

Then the boys ran off and I picked weeds all by myself. There's probably a lesson in that, too.

Anyhow, tonight Janese and I were waling through the yard and I got a couple shot of some parts of the yard we enjoy. One is of the Sunburst Honeylocust in the front, and the other is of some daisies Janese planted in the back some years ago...

You know, I just noticed that Blogger doesn't quite get the colors correct. I just looked at the daisies in "preview" on my moniter and compared it to what is on the screen on Blogger. Much more saturated in "preview"...lame. Lame!

Bike Ride (aka, I've gained 6 lbs.)

2008-06-07T15:01:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago I went in to see the doctor (I can't recall what it was all about...oh wait, a huge breakout of hives). I stepped on the scale and was surprised to see that I'd gained 6 lbs. since my last visit. Probably no big deal, except that all of my pants fit quite snugly, with no belt. I feel like the Koolaid Guy who used to bust through the fence during birthday parties and everyone would yell, "Hey Koolaid!". Only it isn't meant as a compliment when people yell it at me.

This morning Janese invited me to go on a bike ride with her and Maddie. Nice hint, honey... I never go on bike rides. Until now.

I took some pics of Janese because she doesn't look like the Koolaid Guy (or girl...whatever).

How to Take Down a Giant...

2008-06-06T20:21:00.003-06:00

There was no Photoshopping at all (well, a little sharpening...). This is just a great shot. It is all about perspective I suppose, but this looks like a kid taking down a giant with one arrow...

Nice shot...

Maddie's New A-line Cut...

2008-06-06T19:07:00.004-06:00

Janese got a shot of Maddie's new cut right after it happened. I tried to be all professional about it and get a great shot...but Mads protested. This is all we have to show for it...

Trust me, she has a new hair-cut. I'm sure at some point (probably during her nap) we'll get a good one of her...

Here is Janese trying, ever so kindly, to get Mads to straighten up...

Maddie's Friends...

2008-06-06T07:42:00.003-06:00

We were taking pictures of some of Parker's friends during his birthday party and Maddie wanted in on the action. So she gathered up her two friends....

It is kinda cute and kinda sad. What kind of friends are these? They sit around all day, doing nothing unless you force them to get up and play around. They never come up with good ideas for play time. They don't come and find you when playing hide and seek. In fact, they never even find their own places to hide....

We need to get Mads some new friends...

Twitter, anyone?

2008-05-26T18:58:00.000-06:00

Any of you use Twitter?

The 1970's...

2008-05-26T09:57:00.001-06:00

I figured out how to make pictures taken today look like pictures taken when I was a kid. Check the BJM Photography blog for more info.

Google Reader

2008-05-23T22:13:00.002-06:00

So, have you stared using Google Reader yet?

Google is making it so much easier for me to keep track of when the blogs I check are updated. So easy. I'm sure there are other ways to do this (maybe even some better ways) but since I already have a Gmail account and an iGoogle startup page, this seems to streamline my blog-checking.

I'm up to checking about 30-40 photography blogs and a number of miscellaneous blogs almost daily. I used to check in with every blog using the seperate URL's...ugh. Now I go to reader.google.com, see which blogs have been updated, and move on to CNN.com

Second Letter to Twenty Something...

2008-05-23T21:49:00.002-06:00

Fine...sorry. Still, you probably shouldn't text while you're in line at Wal-mart. I don't think people like it.

Especially me.

And here is another reason. Here is the second part of that reason.

Here is another reason.

There are probably a bunch of other reasons. I even like texting and kind of get a few things done because of texting. But I think it is taking over...especially while in line at Wal-mart.

Anyway, I should probably blog about something else...soon enough.

Open Letter...

2008-05-18T19:59:00.005-06:00

I call this post "An Open Letter to a Twenty-Something"

Dear Twenty-Something Girl at Wal-mart who was wearing the sunglasses and standing at the front of the line,

I can speak on the behalf of all of the people in line behind me (there were about 7 ppl behind me) when I say this: I wish you would have just let your cell phone vibrate in your purse.

We all stood there and watched as you put the checkout lady "on hold" while rifling through your purse, searching for the vibrating cell phone. None of us knew exactly what to do so we just stood in wild excitement as you combed the contents of your bag and fished out the phone. When you read it, you smiled. The text was apparently cute, because you smiled when you read it. The fact that you thought we should all wait behind you as you read the text caused us all to believe that something big was in the works. An announcement of some kind? A flight plan change? News from a doctor? Since you didn't scream out in emotional anguish, or dash madly out of the store, or dial 9-1-1 immediately, we all safely assumed that there was no emergency. We were correct in our assumption, weren't we? WEREN'T WE!? You smiled and we all stood. And waited. And waited. The line in which we stood was frozen in time and somehow, at the same time, revolved around you. You were the sun, the life-giving sun, and we were planets locked within the prison called gravity. As the phone vibrated, the orbits, our orbits, ceased and life ceased. Our lives ceased to move on while you read your phone.

Eventually you put your phone away and invited the check-out lady back into your life. A collective sigh of relief gushed forth and the planets began their revolutions. You swiped your card, signed the little sign-thingy, took your bags and receipt and pranced out into the parking lot and fresh air and vehicle. The rest of us continued to stand in line, a little more late for whatever we were going to do.

Let me tell you this: If I ever see you again (especially in any kind or form of line where I am behind you) and your phone begins to vibrate in the deep, dark recesses of your bag, you better not even start to undo the bag's clasp. If you do, I will forcibly take your bag from your tan little claws, empty its contents onto the floor, spy your phone, and kick it so it slides under the women's clothing racks. No one will be hurt and I hope not to damage your phone, but I'm not waiting in line for you to read and respond to a text ever again. Ever.

Signed,

The Collective Group of Planets

A Little Change You May be Interested In...

2008-05-11T07:48:00.003-06:00

I'm starting something new on the BJM Photography blog that may be of interest to those of you who are trying to improve your family photography skills. I get just enough email questions from young mothers who are looking forbasic ways to imrpve their photography, that I thought I'd take a stab at being a little more helpful on the blog. Here is a more detailed post on the change. Check it out!!!

Baby "K"

2008-05-06T21:44:00.002-06:00

There is no possible way I could not post these pictures. I'll post more as I go--these are the only two I've edited thus far...What a doll!

More to come!

Quick Wife Photo Shoot

2008-05-02T23:05:00.002-06:00

As Janese and I were walking back to the van after dinner at the CopperMill, she noticed a cool brick building close to where we parked. I had brought the camera to look for some new places for pictures. Here are a few of my favorites.

"Backlighting"

2008-04-28T20:49:00.002-06:00

I've been trying to figure out this "backlighting" thing in photography. I am far from understanding the details on this one, but I did catch a picture of Parker that I like. Don't mind the extra borders on the top and bottom; it is an example of me using no judgement...

Two Things...

2008-04-26T14:05:00.003-06:00

First of all, here is a picture I took of Landon a few weeks ago...I'm messing with Photoshop again, trying some new things:

Secondly, you need to go read the story on this blog. I'm not going to say any more about it other than to tell you to find the start of the story and read whatever parts you read in chronological order. It is pretty amazing. You'll find Audrey's story here: www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com

The Sandbox

2008-04-23T21:17:00.002-06:00

It is hard to resist a girl who says, "Dad, let's pay in da sandbox!"...

The Wizard of Oz...

2008-04-12T18:16:00.002-06:00

Parker finally had his debut in theater as one of the Flying Monkeys in Baum's the Wizard of Oz. He delivered his lines {"Seize her!" and "Now we have them! Take them to the castle!") with such poise, grace, and verve; the audience was mesmerized and spell bound.

We're proud of him...

Here is a shot of Parker and Maddie during the after-show bash...(I've been working on b/w conversions, but still like color as well...can't choose)

The Mullett...

2008-04-06T10:17:00.004-06:00

...is still coming. You'd think that with a little extra time to due General Conference, I"d be able to get this gem scanned. Nope.

Instead, I've worked on editing tips and tricks I'm picking up. We were at J's dad's birthday celebration and I caught two great pictures: one of Landon and one of baby K*. Yes, there are color pictures available, but I'm working on creating B/W conversions of pictures that also look great in color. For some reason, pictures that are just "desaturated" seem a little flat. So, messing with the channel mixer helps a little, though it is still a bit of a guessing game for me. I'm working on downloading some "actions" that have B/W conversions built right in. So, here are the B/Ws (be sure to click on each picture for a more detailed look):

The Difference Editing Can Make...

2008-03-29T21:42:00.004-06:00

I've been trying to figure out more photo-editing "stuff" so I am posting a "before-and-after" of Mads...Click on each picture for an up-close and personal view (better detail).

I'm not convinced that the second one is better, but at least it is different:

Ok, back to the restricted-blog topic. I'm not done with this one yet. After some studying and soul-searching, research and meditation, I've decided that a person's decision to restrict their blog probably depends on their goal for starting the blog. For instance, if you, like me, have a blog as a way to connect with people and you hope that you connect or re-connect with new people on a regular basis, then your blog shouldn't be restricted, but you shouldn't be overly personal on it either. If you want to send personal info about you and your family, then email it.

If you are keeping a journal-like blog, with details that could "give you away" then you should restrict your blog and you know exactly who is seeing what.

Or, you could have two blogs; one of each type. More fun for everyone.

Here's the other thing, and maybe this is my problem. I use Google Reader to keep track of the blogs I check regularly. It shows me my list and lets me know when one of the blogs has been updated. Such a sweet spp! But it doesn't work with restricted blogs (as far as I can tell) so I find myself not checking some of the restricted blogs as often. So, I'm selfish. And now I know that. But Google Reader is too awesome to stop using and it saves me a ton of time. You ought to sign up and use it. It'll add like 4 years to your life.

I'm still working on scanning the me-in-a-mullet-picture-from-1990 as promised. There isn't a Photoshopping program in the world that can undo the damage that the 1980's did to me. And the picture will be proof enough. Do you know how many year's worth of students have begged to see this picture???

Ashley's B-day Cake

2008-03-24T15:06:00.004-06:00

Ashley helped make her b-day cake this afternoon after we all went as a family to play tennis.

But, don't get sidetracked...I still want people to read the last post about going private with blogs. I'm getting some feedback, but I still have a little problem with this, as I will explain later...

Okay, I'VE HAD IT!!!

2008-03-23T07:51:00.007-06:00

UPDATE: Ok, I just figured out why people have restricted blogs after reading some of the comments on Tricia's blog. But I still think there is a way around that. Just moderate the comments through your email and you're good to go. RIght?

Now listen...I don't want anyone offended or complaining or anything like that. But I'm running into a problem with blogs that is quite vexing, to say the least. And what is sad is that I was going to post a much-anticipated picture of me with a mullet from high-school, but instead I have to post this. So, the mullet will have to wait.

Here goes:

So many bloggers are going to "restricted" or "invitation only" or whatever it is called, and I am only able to check in every so often, that now I am going to blogs I have been checking for months now, AND I CAN'T GET IN!!! And, to make matters worse, there is no email anywhere to ask for permission or an invitation. So, I'm stuck.

The fun of all of this is, was, that I would happen upon a blog of some friend or old student that I haven't seen in years, and I would get to see how great their life is going and what a neat family they have. Now, all I see is "I'm going to be stalked so I'm restricting this blog".

There must be something I don't know about blogging and the risk involved. I suppose that if you are putting a bunch of fairly personal and detailed info on the blog, then people could steal your identity. And if you really, really want to put those details up, then I suppose you should go on the restricted plan. But if you post normal, non-detailed stuff, wouldn't you be OK letting people read it?

Convince me otherwise...

It happened this morning. I went to check a certain blog, that will remain nameless to protect the guilty. Such a let down. Actually, here is the blogger, in code: "AJCI". So, if AJCI can recognize who she is, I'd love an invitation. You may have sent me one already and I forgot to sign in, which is my fault. So, if you'd oblige me this once...

Now, don't anyone go getting your feelings hurt. Just explain whatever it is that I don't understand so that I can restrict my blog, too.

Next up, "the mullet". But not until I get this problem figured out.

Question...

2008-03-21T21:02:00.001-06:00

Does this scanner make me look fat?

Girls' Photo Shoot

2008-03-08T15:29:00.001-07:00

Janese took the boys skiing, so I did a photo-session with the ladies...

To see a few more pics, check the photo blog...

Quick Update and Weird Stuff

2008-03-01T19:50:00.003-07:00

We've focused on helping our girls develop a strong sense of "self". Maddie has caught on. Tonight I read with her, sang with her, prayed with her, and put her into her crib. I then said, "Goodnight, Chicken Pot Pie". To that she said, "I not Kickin' Tot Tie. I Madelyn."

So, that's cute and all, but how's this for cute:

This comes from Reuters News Service. For some reason the story reminds me of this little gem. I really, really wish I had pictures of this. I guess I could photoshop something, but your imagination should be more than good enough. Here's the story, undiluted:

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese man was arrested for trespassing this week after turning up at a high school dressed in a girl's uniform and a long wig, local police said.

Thirty-nine-year-old Tetsunori Nanpei told police he had bought the uniform over the Internet and put it on to take a stroll near the school in Saitama, north of Tokyo, on Wednesday, the daily Asahi Shimbun said.

When students standing outside the gates started to scream at the sight of him, he dashed inside the school grounds, hoping to blend in with the crowds of teenagers, the paper said.

They also screamed, forcing the man to flee, losing his wig in the process. A school clerk pursued him and stopped him at a nearby riverbank, the paper said.

Police confirmed the arrest of the man in school uniform and wig but declined to give further details.

Here's my favorite part, quoted,"...students standing outside the gates started to scream at the sight of him..." and "They also screamed..." I've gotta say at this point, I love Reuters and their "Oddly Enough" section...too bad there are no pictures...

Black and White of PJ

2008-02-16T06:55:00.002-07:00

Parker, at Landon's birthday party from a few weeks ago. I hope to post more of the party shots soon...
We went sledding and so this is PJ climbing back up the hill.

Taking things literally...

2008-02-16T06:39:00.002-07:00

I brought Maddie and Ashley to work with me on Friday because my 1st hour class wanted to throw a b-day party for Madelyn (thanks guys!). Of course, Maddie wanted to show off a little by doing summersaults, twirling around like a ballerina, and counting to 10. Pretty good stuff. Then I said, "Maddie, can you stand on one foot?" I really wanted to see if she could balance on one foot...

She took her right foot and put in on top of her left foot. Literally standing on one foot.

Happy birthday Mads!

Love, Poppa

Update

2008-02-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

I have been busy....shoveling snow. And I mean snow. Lots of it. Feet of it.

We even cancelled church last Sunday.

But, as far as updating goes...We did have quite a little adventure last weekend.

When Landon came up quite upset about the passing of Pres. Hinckley two Sundays ago, I secretly prayed that Heavenly Father would "fix it" somehow. Maybe Pres. Hinckley could appear to Landon in a dream (or something along those lines)? I didn't know if my prayer was an appropriate one or not, but the next morning Landon seemed to feel all right about things, so I decided to let it go and pray about other stuff (I'm developing quite a list). Two days later I learned that the viewing for our prophet would be Thursday and Friday at the Conference Center in SLC, so I asked Landon and Parker if they were interested in going down. They were very excited! I kinda thought this would help Landon "be in the same room" as the prophet (the prophet's body, anyway) like he wanted. We left our home at about 4 pm, drove for an hour or so, caught TRAX to the Conference Center, and walked to find the end of the line.

We stood in line for 5 1/2 hours. I cannot explain how cold it was.

I'm not comparing our experience to the pioneers coming west, but after about 3 hours I started thinking this was some kind of learning experience. Could I survive one more hour? Could I just make it to the next pillar in line? Would the feeling come back in my legs? Again, it was so cold. Oh, and I didn't bring any cold weather jackets for me or the boys...minor detail. We stood in this line that never seemed to end. We shivered like crazy. We were a little hungry. We ran around to try to get warm. We huddled together to block each other from the wind.

At one point, hours into the wait, I said to Landon, "You say the word, and we'll go home". He said he was fine, and Parker agreed, so we kept standing there. I asked again an hour later, and they both said they wanted to stay. A little while later I, again, explained that we could go and eat and be warm and go home to bed, and Landon said (a little teary-eyed), "Dad, I'm not leaving until I see what I came here to see."

At that point I promised Landon that we would stand there all night if that was what was required.

At 10:30 pm, we stood right there next to the body of our beloved prophet, with Parker up in one arm, and Landon under my other arm. We looked at the prophet, looked at each other, smiled, hugged and drove home. There was a very, very warm feeling between the three of us.

Prayer answered....

President Gordon B. Hinckley Passes Away...

2008-01-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

I just detailed my feelings in my journal so I don't really feel like re-writing everything again. Nor do I feel like copying/pasting those personal feelings. But Pres. Hinckley passed away tonight and I just think it is important to record this extremely significant event. I will miss Pres. Hinckley's leadership and testimony. My children have never known another prophet. Most of my students, past and present, don't remember Pres. Hunter or Pres. Benson very well.

Landon came up from bed, in tears, feeling heartbroken that he was never able to see Pres. Hinckley "live" with his own eyes. We hugged and discussed the importance of having a testimony, born of the Spirit, of the calling of a prophet. I asked him if he had that testimony and he said that he really felt like he did. I have that same witness. So does Janese. Our family has been blessed, over and over, by Pres. Hinckley's teaching, example, and testimony of the Savior.

We will miss him and are thankful for the blessing of living on earth during a time when we have prophets, seers, and revelators.

Stop Doing These Things....

2008-01-19T08:53:00.001-07:00

What I'm about to say surprises even me because I love, love, love the iPhone. But here goes...

When you are standing in line in a store and the checker says, "Hello, did you find everything you were looking for?" put your cell phone away and answer her. Don't just keep talking to the person on the phone like what ever you were talking about was that important. I was eavesdropping. Trust me, it wasn't that important.

That was to the lady that I stood behind in Wal-mart a few days ago. You know who you are.

Now, to the two ladies standing in a certain building I was in a few days ago (I'm avoiding specifics a little...ok...a lot) texting like crazy and standing in the middle of the hallway so no one could get past: Did you really need to stand there like no one else was around and text your friends? You were smiling, so I can assume you weren't texting the police about some emergency, right? I heard a person try to talk to you and you never even looked up. You just mumbled and grunted and kept your thumb moving. You should stop. Only aliens would do that. But here on earth we don't do that...

Here is the general principle and we can all just apply it as needed:

Don't talk on your cell phone when you should be talking to or paying attention to someone else. And stop texting people when you're in the middle of stuff where you need to be paying attention to other people. If what ever you're talking or texting about is that big of a deal, walk into a little corner and take care of it. Then come back out into society where we talk to each other and make eye contact and act on other social cues, etc. You won't miss the Mother ship, don't worry.

I don't care if you talk on the phone while you are driving unless you cut me off. It is dumb and unsafe to do it...everyone knows that. So I'm not really talking about that. They highway patrol will probably take care of it for me. But at least stop making people feel bad because you can't put your phone down long enough to say, "Thanks", or "Please" or "You forgot to give me my receipt" or whatever.

My First Eye Exam...

2008-01-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

It wasn't really painful. Not even uncomfortable, for the most part. But I've been notified that I can get glasses if I want them. But that it was up to me.

I think I'm going to do it.

I have wanted glasses for years. All the smart people I know wear glasses. And mine won't even stay on all the time. Only when driving. Or teaching. Or sitting. Or breathing. Not really. I just have a hard time focusing on things when it is later in the evening and writing is far away. Reading books doesn't present a problem. Just seeing small writing on TV or scoreboards, etc. So, I went and had the optics checked. The Dr. said things weren't so bad at all. Just a small astigmatism.

The problem was that I had a basketball game to announce that night, after the appointment. The doc put those drops in my eyes that make them numb so he can press on them with some instrument. Then he put the drops in that dilate my pupils so he can see into my brain (or something like that). It took awhile, but the drops took effect. Light from every source hit my optic nerve like a high powered lasers. I pulled my iPhone out to check the time and squinted out "4:58 pm" on the screen. I was late for the game (I do the stats for the JV game).

Stumbling out into the blinding light I started my car, slipped my sunglasses on, and felt my way to the basketball arena. My eyes could not focus on anything, especially anything that was within about two feet. It made keeping the stats a little tough. So, I just guessed, wrote down numbers, nodded my head a lot, and some how the home team won. I can't recall the score...I never really saw it in the first place...

Quick Family Update...

2008-01-19T07:22:00.001-07:00

I'll make this quick...

Parker tried out for his first play. Out of the blue he notified us that he would be trying out for a part in "The Wizard of Oz" after school...

I have secretly always wanted to be in a play. The problems with this: I can't act. I can't sing. I can't memorize things. I can't dance. I am good at remembering phone numbers, but that talent isn't utilized much the world of theater.

So I'm pretty proud of Park. He sang a song in front of a crowd (which made him nervous) and recited a Shel Silverstein poem (if you are familiar, it is the one about the lazy girl who needs a drink of water...I won't give away the punch line...if you're not familiar with Silverstein, you should be).

Parker part is the flying monkey (one of eight monkeys). How fitting.

Another first (well, kind of): Janese started taking a ballet class. No she isn't the oldest...uh...most experienced member of the class. She comes in second on that one.

She is the prettiest. I haven't seen any of the other girls, but I have a feeling about this one.

So it is Janese, a bunch of 16-year-olds, and a 37-year-old. Janese has been to two weeks of classes and absolutely LOVES it. She took ballet when she was younger, but after seeing the Nutcracker this Christmas, she decided to look around and find a class for adults. She found it. So we went and bought new ballet shoes (er...slippers? cleats? boots? fins? whatever they're called), and two pairs of tights. She was nervous for the first class, but came home quite excited and sore...

My SIL started a little line of footwear for little girls...go check it out here.

I bought a 4-wheeler to push snow around. I purchased it from our friends two Mondays ago. It is for sale now. No, it works great. Pretty new tires, starts right up, and even comes with a snow blade. My problem is that our driveway is so small that it takes more work to uncover it, start it up, and move our vehicles than it would take for me to start the snow-blower and clear the driveway. So anyhow, it'll be on KSL. Mention my blog and I'll give you a 5% discount. (No, I'm not kidding)

I think that is it. We're happy, warm, surrounded by snow, and together. What could be better?

I had to post these...

2008-01-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from a sledding trip and Janese's attempt (thwarted) to write in her journal... To see MORE PICTURES like these...go to the BJM Photography Website...

My First Near Death Experience

2007-12-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

Or "NDE" if you will. You know, I've heard about people having these. I've read a bunch of stories where people die (momentarily) and proceed to a light. Then they see someone and they get the chance to choose whether they go back into their body or stay with the light. They usually choose to come back to earth (or we wouldn't even know about their story) and then we read the story.

Mine wasn't anything like that. So either those people were lying, or I didn't really have the famed NDE that I thought I had. You decide. Here is how it went down:

Step One: Janese and I decided to buy a new fan/light for our front room. This is due to the fact that our light had been hit with basketballs too many times and only worked part of the time, and because I think our light was hideous. Here is the light (on the ground after being "fired"):

Step Two: We bought a new light at Lowes. I thought, Oh, I can hang this thing in an hour. I always start projects with this thought.

Now for a little "aside".

I don't really know anything about construction or wires or hammers. I mean, I can fix a few little things. The light in our bathroom was re-wired by me. I built our shed (please wind, don't blow). But I'm not really the kind of guy who should decide to take on a project by himself unless someone else has promised to come and check on me to make sure I haven't "expired" during the project (especially if there are wires, electricity, nails, or fire involved)...

Step Three: Janese and the children left for two hours and Maddie went down for a nap. So, I'm alone with my precious tools and a box holding a new light.

Step Four: I opened the box. Why wasn't this thing pre-assembled? I thought it would be a light/lamp sitting in some of those foam peanuts. It was just a bunch of wood blades, screws, nuts, motors, and other stuff. I immediately began to realize I was in over my head.

Step Five: I ripped the old lamp down. Harder than it sounds. I spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out which screws to mess with and which to leave intact. I finally decide just to start at the ceiling and work down. The old fans hangs for 20 minutes by the wiring. Probably not safe, but I couldn't come up with a better solution. It was pretty heavy. So it hangs there, partially supported by the top of the ladder while I search for the instructions. Sweating...

Step Six: I read the directions. I usually don't. I look at something and think, Hey, I know how this is supposed to go and then I just start hammering things together in a way that seems right. Janese doesn't like that. She likes to read the directions. Like if we get a new board game, Janese starts reading the instructions while I just start setting up the game pieces in a way that seems logical. Janese then finishes reading the instructions. Then we re-set up the game in the correct fashion. (and then Janese looks for a way to cheat) (Don't tell her I know this)

The instructions were pretty involved. Lots of steps and diagrams. But the part that got my attention was this line:

Failure to [insert whatever step they're covering at the moment] may result in serious injury or death.

Death? This is a ceiling fan, not a weapons-grade container of enriched uranium. Why would I experience death from hanging a fan?

Step Seven: I put everything together, step by step in order, all by myself.

It took about two hours. The instructions said it would take 90 minutes so I must have taken an extra 30 minutes to contemplate my own "death and/or serious injury".

Step Eight: I turn the power in our front room back on and pull the switches for the lights and the fan. I did feel a little nervous flipping the breaker back on. I took a few seconds to determie how long it would take me to run upstairs, grab Maddie from her crib, and rush out of our burning home. I also tried to recall, from Scouts, how to put out an electrical fire (I can't remember...baking soda? fire extinguisher? stop, drop, and roll?)

So, according to the instructions, I had a near death experience. It wasn't as bad or life-changing as I thought it would be. Other people have new courage for life's problems or a new outlook or they forgive everyone who has ever offended them. I didn't have any of that stuff. I watched TV for a little while until Janese came home. She kissed me.

Also, I have an increased respect for the famous Trisha and her dishwasher...

Lastly, I will report on whether my children's Christmas wishes were dashed or not later...

And I thought a Penguin would be tough...

2007-12-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

I guess, technically, I could have gone to the Sacramento Zoo and found the "penguin house". We went there this summer and watched the penguins behind the glass. I know glass breaks, and I know I can break it. So, fulfilling Ashley's Christmas dreams was a possibility. A remote one, but a possibility nonetheless.

Now we have Parker. Apparently his school class all wrote letters to Santa and the newspaper got ahold of the letter. They were published this week. I just read Parker's letter, via the newspaper. Here it is, in its entirety:

Dear Santa,

Haw do yure randre fli I want to noe.
And thank you for the presents last yare.
Ples give me a elf.

Parker M.

At least penguins are real. I mean, Santa could scrounge one up from somewhere; a zoo, one of the poles, some eccentric person's basement tank. But where are you getting an elf? They're busy, small, they can disappear, they have those curly-tipped boots and pointed hats. No one is bringing one of those little fellers into this house.

I can just see Ashley and Parker, surrounded by dolls and toy trains and other wonderful toys, huddled in the corner, weeping, and mumbling something about their shattered Christmas wishes...

Unrealistic Expectations...

2007-12-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Try to imagine the pressure felt when I came home from work today, dropped my keys on the counter in the kitchen, and found this Christmas letter to Santa from Ashley sitting next to Janese's planner (this is the entire letter, word for word, and I think she means it):

Dear Santa,
I want a penguin.
From: ASHLEY

We couldn't even take care of a dog. I'm not convinced I know exactly what Santa is bringing her this year, but at this point, Christmas is looking to be quite the let-down for at least one very good little girl...

My Only Movie Review (a.k.a. "Eight Thumbs Down")

2007-12-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

It's a Festivus Miracle!

I found a movie that is worse than Rocky 6. I know...Unbelievable (especially if you've seen Rocky 6). It was the ABC Family Movie of the whatever. Title? "Holiday in Handcuffs"

I can't tell you how horrible this movie was. Just keep in mind that it was worse the the last Rocky movie. And trust me, than means it was pretty bad.

I suggest that if you see this movie being rebroadcast in any form during the holidays that you poke your finger into your eye and touch your brain. Anything to avoid seeing this one...

Enjoy December...

Some Singing and an Update

2007-12-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

What started as a place to post pictures became a place to update about our family and then became a place for me to type whatever I want. So, I'm going back one step, to family updating. (Even though I kinda want to talk about some 80's music that I actually did like)

We'll start with a little moment from Maddie. Lately, she has not really enjoyed going to bed like she used to. It used to be so easy. Grab a blanket, read a book, sing together, pray, plop her into her crib, and skip out in a carefree way because Maddie was going to go right to sleep.

Now, when we say, "Time for night-night honey" she immediately begins chanting, in a panic, "No bed, no bed, NO bed, NO BED, NO BED! No BED!". Even though i think it is kind of cute, Janese and I both miss the easy-to-bed routine we used to have.

The good news is that Maddie still really likes to sing before she goes to sleep:

Landon and I went to the Peter Breinholt Christmas concert last night. Incredible as always.

Landon and Parker both brought home their report cards this week. All E's...E's are A's for those of you who are old. :)

Ashley had a great week in school with Miss Jami. We forgot to post a picture from Ashley's Thanksgiving Dinner at school with mom.

Janese and I just kinda stood around and watched and tried not to get in the way. Janese, of course, was busy all week helping everyone do everything. She even managed to take a second and read the chapter of Edward and Bella's story from Edward's perspective. (Spoiler: THESE PEOPLE ARE CHARACTERS IN A FICTION BOOK. THEY ARE NOT REAL. I REPEAT, THEY ARE NOT REAL.) Which, by the way, reminds me that I wanted to let everyone know that Stephanie Meyer is now selling bracelets...Bella's bracelet. I'm not putting a link to this site because I don't think anyone should buy one. Nothing against Steph, just, it is a stupid idea. They are $65. Give the money to charity. Please...

Oh, and Janese and I, thanks to some wonderful friends and neighbors, went to the Nutcracker. I think I liked it. The men should wear pants or sweats, though. Not nylons. Ever.

Janese: Tights, Brian, Tights! (I'm learning how to Blog! Yea!)

Cover your eyes!

2007-11-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Not because something you're about to see is inappropriate, but because it is, uh, well, unattractive. Now, I am purposely putting the picture far enough down this post that you won't see it until you are done reading about it. Yes, a little shock value is intended.

According to a story on CNN.com, government officials stopped a wedding convoy because the group looked "suspicious". Then they detained a few in the party. I'm putting the word "suspicious" in quotes because I'm not sure it is the correct word to use. But, I digress...

So they pull over the cars. Upon further inspection they discover that the groom and bride are both terrorist suspects. So they detained them. Probably a typical day in Baghdad, from what I read. It ended up being two men, not a bride and groom. They were "in disguise". Again, I'm sure this happens weekly in the Middle East.

One reason they were pulled over is because one car in the convoy wouldn't heed an official's warning to stop. Also, there were all men and just one woman (the bride) in the group and I guess that would seem suspicious. The other reason is because the groom wouldn't lift the veil of his wife-to-be. Let's take a second and explore that...

Hmm. Why wouldn't a groom want to lift the veil of his wife-to-be and show her off to other people? Is it a cultural thing? That is the question. Here is the answer:

Scroll down a bit.

I (sarcastically) wonder why the groom wouldn't lift the veil. The government officials suspected there was a problem? Wow. This disguise hurts to look at. In fact, this is, by far, the worst disguise I have ever seen anyone, anywhere, try to use to get past a Middle-eastern checkpoint. Or any check point for that matter. On any planet where life could be supported by an atmosphere. This person should not only be detained, but forced to stare at a mirror until he breaks down and vomits up Taliban secrets. I'm not supportive of physical punishment in most cases, but this "groom" should be caned for allowing his little cronies to trick him into being the "groom" to such an unattractive bride. Maybe that is a practical joke in the Middle East. Like the other guys were in the other cars behind the bride and groom and they were snickering and pointing at the sucker sitting next to the bride. Boy, that backfired.

I've Been Published!

2007-11-21T07:04:00.001-07:00

Well, not really. But I did write my first "letter to the editor". Boy, I tell ya what, the thrill of flexing of my freedom of speech muscles was exhilarating. This is what America is all about. I feel like a cowboy of old, riding into a city and "correcting" the local, corrupt sheriff and then riding off into the sunset, guns smoldering, hat tipped down and to the side, spurs quietly jingling as they bouncing against my horse's flanks to the rhythm of his sure, steady and slow trot.

I just hope I spelled everything correctly. Eye wud knot whant 2 bee imbearest bye sum dum "spelling mistakes".

The original article about Gov. Romney suggesting that if he is elected he will hire a management consulting team to help restructure the government can be found here.

Here is my letter, just in case it does get published. Then we'll have proof that I was "Brian, UT":

Kinsley's "Bring in the Consultants!" fails on at least two points. After complaining that a management consulting team would not be a good idea to restructure our current government, Kinsley gives no, absolutely no, examples of where a management consulting firm has failed to restructure a "client" successfully. Secondly, Gov. Romney didn't say he was going to hire a consulting team to run the government. He was going to look at restructuring the government organization. We have ample examples, from this very magazine, of the need to have a government that is restructured, slimmed-down, simplified, and reorganized. No one, Gov. Romney included, is suggesting that the "cacophony of politics" is going to be replaced with a management consulting team. But, the dissonance we are all seeing in the current government organization is neither efficient or effective. It sounds like Kinsley's article could have used a proofreading and reorganizing by a McKinsey, Bain, Boston, or at least Jack Welch.

I don't think I really feel that strongly about the article. But I liked writing my letter. So, I'm going to do it more. Local newspaper, Time Inc., the NY Times, the Dictionary. Anything I don't totally agree with is going to hear from me. Now everyone will feel the wrath of my pen.

Senior Session...

2007-11-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

To see Lisa's senior pictures sneak peek, go to the photography website...

100th Post!

2007-11-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

That came fast.

Since I hadn't really thought much about the fact that our 100th post was coming up, I'm not really sure what to do.

I could list 100 things about us that people might not know (boring)

I could list 100 songs from the 80's that I hate (too easy)

I could list 100 things I love about Janese (too romantic)

I could list 100 things I want to do before I die (I can only think of 4)

I could list my 100 favorite birds (too exciting)

Hmm. Nothing is coming. I can't even make up a list of 6 things that have to do with anything. I keep seeing these "I've Been Tagged!!!" lists and I'm not very interested in writing about all of that stuff.

Let's just go with this. It isn't that great. I wouldn't even really want to read it if I wasn't me. I may not even read it even though I am me...

Here are just 10 things...

1. I have consumed at least one plate of nachos almost every week since about 6th grade. That all started at Jeff Boele's house and will end in an ER, I'm sure.

2. I was kicked off of The Alamo ("for life" they said...).

3. I sometimes watch movies on the iPod while I'm driving to work. No, I don't carpool. No, I'm not sitting in some form of public transportation. Yes, I know that if it isn't illegal it is still pretty unsafe. No, I'm probably not going to stop. No, you shouldn't do it, too.

4. I like watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 movies (refer to above info).

5. When people lose their tempers in public I kind of want to laugh out loud so they can hear. But I don't really like getting beat up.

6. I lost the spelling bee in 5th grade on the word "people". It was humiliating because I always thought I was pretty smart. The dang E-O combination threw me.

7. I was at a sleep-over with some kid in about 7th grade. At one point he pulled out two one-gallon jugs of water and started doing curls. He told me not to ever tell anyone because he was embarrassed. I never did. I'm not going to tell you his name (to keep my promise) but it does feel pretty good to unburden myself after all of these years. Here's a hint: His initials are D.H. and he has authored a number of books that sell on Amazon.com.

8. I think our family has held Family Home Evening over 400 times. I can't recall a Monday that we've missed. Last Monday, after the lesson, we played Mario Cart Double Dash for the activity. It doesn't really matter who won. What was interesting was that I've never seen anyone lose as bad as Janese.

9. I woke up in the middle of surgery on my finger (for the complete story, ask Darren). My eyes opened and I saw one of the surgeons' eyebrows raise quickly and then he said, "Uh-oh." I heard some beeping above my head from a machine. The beeping picked up a little. I fell back to sleep. I think I don't really ever want to hear a surgeon say "Uh-oh" when they are cutting my body.

10. I'm pretty sure most dogs feel like biting me. They must sense/smell fear. I can't remember not feeling that way. We even owned a dog named Bailey a few years ago. Everyday when I went out back to train her I would picture what would happened if I turned my back while she was fetching the ball. I pictured her surprising me by wrapping her teeth around the soft fleshy part of the back of my neck in a death grip. I've never actually been mauled or anything, but I'm sure I inherited this fear from my dad. When I was little and we were in Utah for vacation, dad was chased home by a ferocious canine while jogging when we visited Logan. We saw the dog a little later that day. It weighed about 7 pounds. I think the next time my dad went jogging he took a big, thick belt with him for defense. Just thinking about my dad jogging in broad daylight in Logan with a hefty leather belt and a watchful eye makes my laugh. I'm laughing right now. Oops, now I'm not. The dog next door is barking. I think it picked up my scent. Dang. I knew this would happen.

If you made it this far, leave a comment. C'mon, it's a celebration.

Sneak Peek of My "Little" Brother...

2007-11-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

My baby brother David and his family came to town for a few hours this afternoon. Click here to see his family's photo shoot!

He is so tall I had a hard time cropping the pictures to keep everyone in the scene...

A long line of Thespians....

2007-11-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, our sons come from a long line of thespians. Well, actually, I was Hanzel in "Hanzel and Gretyl" in second grade. Mary Ann Clark was Gretyl. My only line was to stand there. And that isn't really, technically, a "line". Janese says she was in a play or two in grade school but can't remember what they were. Still counts. So, when Landon and Parker cheerfully volunteered to be in our ward's version of "Annie" Janese and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

That's one version of the story.

Actually, Janese signed the boys up without their permission. I was scared to death playing Hanzel and was never in a production again. Janese still can't recall the play she was in.

But we did feel satisfied watching them in the play. They did great. The entire cast did. They memorized their lines and songs and our boys really did have a great time doing it.

Here's the proof:

The boys getting into character (they are orphans in the play....neither one liked wearing make-up):

The boys doing "relaxation exercises"...it is an actor thing (I think):

The entire cast in all their glory:

I forgot to add this: I was a juggling lion in a class circus once. I juggled two bean-bags if I remember correctly.

And that was in front of thousands of cheering, screaming fans...

What time is it?

2007-11-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

I set my clock "back" last night. I set my alarm at the "normal" time, which is technically an hour after I normally set it. I woke to my alarm, figured I was awake an hour earlier than normal and went back to sleep. I was now an hour early. Or late. I don't know. So I woke up 15 minutes before I needed to be a bishopric meeting. Or maybe I was 45 minutes late. Or early. I still can't tell. Everyone was already at the meeting that I was to conduct, so I must have been late. Or they had forgot to change their clocks.

I seemed to have an extra hour in between interviews and church. Daylight Saving explained it. I think.

I got home from church a little early. Maddie went down for her nap an hour late. I don't know how to explain that since I think we've set our clocks back an hour. But we forgot to set the clocks in the front of the house back, so we were an hour later for everything. But not really because we had been living according to the bedroom clock. Which I had ignored for an hour.

Janese keeps claiming that we need to get the kids in bed an hour early because of the time change, but that would be the normal time, a week ago.

So, I don't know what time it is right now. I don't know when the kids are supposed to go to bed. And if I call my parents (in CA) or brother (in TX) to ask, I'm an hour off one direction or the other anyhow.

On another note, my free iPod nano arrived. Pretty sweet. Thanks, KeyBank. In the interest of full-disclosure, yes, I opened the account just for the nano. I'm closing it this week.

New Senior Session

2007-11-03T15:51:00.000-06:00

Check out the "sneak peak" of M*...click here.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T21:29:00.000-06:00

The children have been dressing up for Halloween since March. Their efforts finally paid off. They scored so much candy that I felt absolutely no guilt when I took some. Well...I might have taken more than some. I'm not even sure they noticed.

But, after about an hour, I noticed. I noticed it mostly right around the intestinal area....

Happy Halloween!

Daughter Photo Shoot

2007-10-28T20:20:00.000-06:00

We did a quick little girl's photo shoot...click here to see the rest of them...

Vampire books...

2007-10-27T07:45:00.000-06:00

Let's get one things straight: I DID NOT read the book(s). I had two sister-in-laws talk to me about the Twilght series books. In fact, one SIL didn't want to tell me about the books because she thought I wouldn't let Janese read them (like I can tell her what to do).

I was razzing some girls in my seminary class because they were all so in love with Edward. They finally told me that I couldn't make fun of a book I had not read. Isn't that what the cover is for? To give me a reason to judge a book without having to read it? So, in the spirit of wanting the make fun of the book, I decided to read it. I know....stupid choice. But I did.

I got through the first 200 pages an gave it back to Janese.

I'll tell you what...if I was in 10th grade, and I was a girl, I'm sure I'd love it. But I'm not, and I don't. At all. I got to some part where Edward was stroking Bella's chin or something like that and the thought exploded into my mind like a ray of early morning sunlight, I could not care less about a character. I recently finished Kiterunner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, so this book paled, horribly, recklessly even, in comparison when it came to getting me to care about the characters (or the plot, or author, or page numbers, or jacket cover, or ISBN number, for that matter). In fact, I read an advertisment for binkies in Parenting magazine yesterday and I cared more about the characters there than in the Twilight book.

With that said, I just took a questionairre to see which Twilight character I am most like. Turns out, using this highly scientific experiement, I am most like:

You're Carlisle Cullen - You are very intelligent and have high moral standards. You truly care about people and helping them. Your knack for solving problems and pleasing two warring sides makes you unique and a desirable friend to have, even if sometimes you have to tell people what they might not like hearing.

Whoever this guy is, he most be pretty special...

Go ahead ladies, take the quiz here. It is free, and really quite scientific and important to take. But remember, THIS BOOK IS FICTION. You can't marry Edward. He isn't real.

Sorry for the spoiler. :)

Now, for the record, Janese took the quiz. She is most like:

Podcasts

2007-10-26T08:19:00.001-06:00

I have been listening to podcasts for quite awhile now. Recently I asked my students how many of them listened to any podcasts on a regular basis and was suprised to hear that very few of them even knew what a podcast was. There were a few little misconceptions concerning podcasts that we cleared up and a couple students now listen to podcasts on a somewhat-regular basis.

I love podcasts. I get to listen to the information I want, when I want, and skip anything I don't want. I can search for regularly updated material on subjects that matter to me (or just plain entertain me). I even have my own podcast (well, had my own podcast...it hasn't been updated since episode 9).

{Plug: my podcast is called "The Family History Minute" and was a top-ten listened to podcast on the educational podcasts in iTunes...you can find it by going to www.familyhistoryminute.com or by going into iTunes, going to the iTunes Music Store, and searching for "Brian Mickelson, or "Family History Minute". I am currently deciding if it is worth the time to re-record/edit the thing and add two more episodes...we'll see. If you listen to it, send some feedback or episode ideas...I could use all the help I can get. I have received emails from people from all over the earth concerning the show. The feedback has been wonderful and I've enjoyoed conversing with people from wherever...}

Anyhow (now that that is over) here are the basics:
1. You don't need an iPod. Or even any type of mp3 player. Those only help if you want to listen to podcast when you are out and about.
2. You find a podcast you like and "subscribe" to it. Then, whenever they post a new "episode" it automatically downloads to your computer. Most people use iTunes to subscribe to podcasts, but there are other options.
3. Most podcasts update regularly and are well done. In iTunes, people vote on podcasts and give reviews and that helps you know what will be lame and what will be great to listen to.
4. Most media organizations have podcasts that are well done. CNN, NPR, etc....
5. iTunes keeps a list of the top-listened-to podcasts. Careful...they are not all "clean" all of the time. If there is explicit information in a podcast, they mark it that way. That helps.
6. All podcasts are free. Ya, I know...free. Sweet.

Here are the podcasts I am currently listening to:
1. This American Life: Weekly podcast lasting about an hour. Usually cut into a few segments all focusing on one theme. This has been a top listened to podcast for quite awhile now. Very well done.
2. RadioLab: In my opinion, this is the best-produced podcast on the planet. VERY well done.
3. CarTalk: Don't be fooled. I don't know a thing about cars. I probably never will. I don't listen to CarTalk because of the cars. I listen to it because these are two of the funniest guys I've eve heard. I love this podcast (which is actually a weekly radio show from NPR) and listen to it every week. Tom and Ray...these two guys from Boston...you have to hear them...
4. Grammar Girl -- Guide to Better Writing: I don't know why I like this one. Maybe because it is short and makes me smarter. Or seem smarter. Well, it is short and well done anyhow.
5. Family History Minute: I don't really listen to my own. C'mon. I hear myself everyday. But, people like it (not everyone...).

I have listened, in the past, to a bunch of other podcasts and I periodically go back to them a listen to recent episodes. I enjoy the PopSci Podcast, most stuff from NPR, some of CNN's stuff, and then a few random podcasts on subjects like photography, photo editing, genealogy, news, and whatever else I think of.

I'd be interested in hearing about what you're listening to. Let me know.

Daughters...

2007-10-25T17:37:00.000-06:00

This is what photography should be. Now, I realize that I have moved the photography portion of this blog to the photography blog...I know. But, I'm posting these pictures here, not there. Why? Because I want to.

There was good light in the bedroom. I grabbed the camera, the daughters, and took about two minutes to shoot pictures. No direction. No "smile!" Just hitting the button. Now, after about ten minutes of editing, I'm posting...

I'm putting these here because this was more about life in our home than photography. Plus, these are my daughters and I can do whatever I want...

I'm glad I live where I live...

2007-10-22T12:47:00.000-06:00

Because I would never, ever, want to live in Philadelphia. At least not after reading this report. And I quote:

"PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Philadelphia is home to the least attractive people in the United States, a survey of visitors and residents showed on Friday.

"The city of more than 1.5 million people was also found to be among the least stylish, least active, least friendly and least worldly, according to the "America's Favorite Cities" survey by Travel & Leisure magazine and CNN Headline News."

Now, it isn't that I'm helping out Northern Utah by living here (I may be pulling our averages down), but I don't want to be living in the ugliest city in the US either. The article goes on the mention other "ugly" cities in the US.

Why did they report on this poll? Wouldn't having the 76'ers and the Eagles in your town make you feel bad enough?

When Janese gets an idea...

2007-10-21T21:27:00.000-06:00

...she really gets to work on it. I'm not sure if we were finishing a project from some time ago, or if this was a new project that we just started. All I know is that we spent the majority of Saturday painting. And painting. And painting. And, Janese did most of it. But, for proof that the rest of us jumped in a "helped"...I took a few pictures.

Sweet Bubble Day...

2007-10-21T21:24:00.001-06:00

Here are a few more pics from the day of bubbles...

Decision made...most likely...

2007-10-18T19:00:00.000-06:00

Drum-roll please...

The decision is...iPhone.

Here are the reasons:
1. They are cool.
2. I like them.
3. The Blackberry data plan through Verizon is lame.
4. The iPhone will have my "The Office" episodes on it.
5. The iPhone will have a few of my MST3K shows on it.
6. The Blackberry is the size of a cheeseburger in your pocket (thanks Harmony!)
7. The iPhone is sweet.
8. Steve Jobs has one (or two).
9. Bill Gates doesn't (well, he probably does...).
10. Uh...the iPhone will have Suduko on it?

So, there you have it. A bunch of people have given my advice...so, thanks. And the iPhone it is...

Keeping the Sabbath Day holy...I think.

2007-10-14T17:46:00.001-06:00

The weather is great right now. There is rain in the forecast. We've been in the church building for three hours (eight hours if you are me, and today wasn't nearly as busy as usual). And, most of us have been kind of sick over the past two weeks. So we, as a family, played "bubbles" outside after we took a walk, bombed each other with crabapples, and threw water on the neighbor girls. I caught a few great pictures. I would have a few more of the other children but they were too involved trying to use light-sabers to cut the bubbles asunder...

What an angel...

2007-10-13T21:12:00.001-06:00

The special (and kind of sad) circumstances under which this sweet little thing had her pictures taken make this particular picture one of my all time favorites. What an honor it was to be the photographer! To see more of this special family, click here...

Make sure you click right on this picture to get a larger, more detailed view.

A little TECH help please...

2007-10-12T09:21:00.000-06:00

Here is my problem, desribed completely and perfectly in one, well-crafted sentence:

I am sick of using a stylus.

There. I said it. Not only am I sick of using a stylus (and won't, ever again) but I lost mine. So, when I am sitting in a meeting trying to input some notes into my little Palm device, I use a pen cap. Lame, I know.

So...I have a decision to make. Rather than simply go buy something that looks cool (which is what I usually do) I am trying to make this complicated by weighing all of the options.

PROBLEM: I need a PDA, cell-phone, MP3 player, paired down to one or two items (I'm not carrying three devices).

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: First off, here is what I'm NOT doing. I'm not getting a Palm-anything. Not the Treo. No Palm stuff. Don't ask me why. We'll get into this big debate about it and everything all boils down to me listing a bunch of reasons why Microsoft is making it easier for the aliens to take over our planet. I realize that Palm isn't owned by Bill Gates, but there are a bunch of connections...

Here are the most likely options:

ONE: I'll but an iPhone. I'd have to switch to ATT. But iPhones are cool. They don't have a to-do list that syncs with iCal (for some reason) and that is a problem. I could maybe use Google Calendar (which would be nice...no syncing at all). iPhones are expensive, they have a pretty small harddrive, but they are pretty cool, too. I like them.

TWO: Blackberry Curve or the Blackberry 8800 phone. I don't really need to have email capabilities from the PDA like BB's are famous for, but it would be nice I guess. Their data plans aren't cheap (the iPhone's is only $20/mo). I like both Blackberries quite a bit (but now I'm tired of typing...)

So, here is what I'm asking for. Will you ask all of the people you know who have either/any of these devices and get opinions and then post those thoughts? And quickly?

Is there such thing as a Conference hangover?

2007-10-09T08:11:00.000-06:00

As my SIL so aptly described, conference was awesome this last weekend. I got to work on Monday and told the guy I work with that I thought this was the best conference ever. He said, "You say that every six months." Ya, I probably do. They get better every six months!

But, and herein lies the problem, I feel so gross right now. I start looking forward to conference months ahead of October. I start planning what I'll eat weeks prior to the event. We gather the ingredients we'll need days before. By the time conference starts I'm on the couch ramming nachos, Seven-layer dip, tater-tots, and french-toast with bacon into my mouth at such an unhealthy rate that I can literally feel my heart laboring under the pressure of shoving my blood through my now-too-closed-off arteries. My stomach expands to accept the double-portion. My knees buckle when I pull myself off of the couch. The buttons on my shirt hold on for dear life. While wrestling with my children, I nearly crush them like an elephant.

It isn't pretty. At all.

But, it feels pretty good. And, I love listening to the talks and discussing them with Janese and the children. So, it is a great weekend.

Then Monday comes. It isn't so much that I feel horrible. I just feel a little gross all over. My muscles ache. My head spins a bit. My stomach feels full all day whether I eat anything else or not. I can't enjoy food. And it last for days. Up to a week. Ugh...I'm not looking forward to the rest of this week.

So, though this was the best conference yet (this time I'm sure of it) I feel gross.

With that said, I loved conference.
The Elder Wirthlin Elder Nelson moment.
The "SHOWER, SHOWER, SHOWER" talk.
Every word Sister Beck shared.
Every word Elder Holland shared.
The calling of Pres. Eyring and Elder Cook.
Elder Hallstrom's Priesthood Session talk.
"Good, better, best".

And there was so much more. That is why I'm excited for conference to be posted on the church's website. I'll download the talks in MP3 form and print a few off to mark. Then the November Ensign will come. Janese and I will both have our own copy so that we can study and mark each talk. I noticed that Pres. Hinckley challenged us, again, to use the conference talks in FHE. So we're going to make a more concerted effort in our home to do that. I'm excited.

Even though I still feel so full I might fast for the next three days.

A few more edits...

2007-10-07T12:33:00.000-06:00

I've edited a few more family pictures from our recent photo shoot...to see more, click on the BJM Photography Blog...

Brian's Pregnancy?

2007-10-06T05:43:00.000-06:00

My pregnancy is going quite well...thanks for asking.

Janese caught these uniquely flattering pictures of me swimming this summer. I thought I was playing enough tennis to counteract the huge amount of nachos I consume. Apparently I was wrong. Really wrong.

I hope the 2nd and 3rd trimesters go as smoothly as the first one has...