Baby Girl's first Dance Solo

Last Tuesday BG had her first dance solo at the Covey Center.

You were fantastic little one! And thanks to T. Lougee for the great choreography.

What's something funny that I did?

Baby Girl is loving, loving, loving school. She couldn't wait to go back almost as soon as last school year was over. I love her so much, but I sometimes wonder where she gets these traits she has. But, since they're overwhelmingly good I don't worry so much that she didn't get them from me. Small favors no?

Last night as she was anxiously engaging in her homework (uh... again, not from me) she was filling out a get to know you type survey and it was a lot of fun to help her with that.

One of the questions - Name 3 things that you're afraid of. Her response? How my brothers smell when they get home from football practice, My Brothers armpits, and poisonous snakes.

Another question - Tell about something funny that you did. Her response - Drew some pickles on a piece of paper and used the paper to save my place on the couch. Well let me tell you - we all fell about laughing at that one. Wait - don't tell me you're not laughing? Really? Could it be that you don't have the backstory? Well, in the mode of Dr. D:

A couple of years ago, I took my boys to see the latest Bourne movie on premier day. We got to the theater kind of late and had some trouble finding a spot where we could all sit together. We finally found a spot on the 2nd row and moved over to the center. Q said - "Dad, there's something in this chair." I looked, and sure enough someone had left a half eaten pickle - one of those huge deli variety pickles that they sell at the movie theaters... tucked inside a napkin and wedged into the cup holder of the arm rest.

Never one to be afraid of pickles, I gingerly grasped the napkin and chucked the pickle under the seats for those lucky theater workers to clean later. Just as I was letting go of the happy bundle, I hear a rather loud, angry voice yelling something on the order of "What do you think you're doing?". And this twentysomething young man is getting in my face about why I threw his pickle on the ground. He was really heated about the whole thing and I apologized to him and told him I was sorry, and that I had assumed that someone from a previous showing had left it there and it hadn't been cleaned up.

Well - not good enough for him - he was really mad and was getting more angry. So I quip "Well in my experience it's not customary for a pickle to save someone's seat", and then people around us started to chime in saying things like "Dude, you need to calm down.", "Get over it - it was a pickle" and the like. Well - he went from angry to embarrassed in about 2 seconds. And that's when I started to feel bad for the kid. He mumbled something about how that pickle was the only thing he could afford and that he was sorry for losing his temper etc. I offered to buy him a new pickle, or anything else he wanted from the snack bar, but he'd moved from embarrassed to mortified and didn't want to talk to me anymore - the problem was that there were so few open seats in the theater now, that he had to sit just 3 seats down from us.

I tried a couple more times to get him to allow me to buy him something to replace the pickle, but he pulled his hat down over his face a bit and said he was fine, and asked me just to drop it. So I decided it was best just to honor his wish, and let it go.

Just then, one of the guys in the group behind us said "Hey, I'm going to run get a drink, save my place." to his buddy - to which the buddy replied, "Sure, I'll just put a pickle here on your seat."

Everyone around us laughed - except me and this poor young kid.

He got up and left, and I'm assuming found somewhere else to sit in the theater.

Today the story is oft told in our family, and we generally laugh about it - but I confess I still feel badly for that young man, and wish I could go back and make things better.

That said - I laughed right along with the rest of them when BG decided to choose the pickle drawings place saver as her funny thing. Because it truly was funny my friends - it truly was.

Respectfully,

- jake

Testing

I've had a new phone for a few months now, and I've not remembered to configure it to work with blog posts, until today.

Seems to work well, which is nice.

Enjoy a snapshot of dinner - we call it our triple bypass mac & cheese. This time I sautéed up some ham until it was nice and crispy and sprinkled it on top, but I left some without ham for Baby Girl who rarely eats "Wilbur" related foods - Thanks Charlotte's Web.

Wait - I have a blog?

I'd sort of forgotten. Okay - I'm not going to lie. I remembered the blog, and have received many gentle reminders that it's been a while since I've updated. I'm sorry. A lot has gone on over the past couple of months, and I don't know that I'll have time to go back and write about all of the things that have gone on since I last update - especially considering that my previous updates were sporadic at best - oh well.

That said, things are going well - and we're excited about the new school year, and the new football season.

Three boys at PHS this year, and all of them playing football. SK and CK will be playing varsity, and Q will be playing with the sophomore team.

Blogging interupt - La Reine just asked what I was doing. I looked over
and told her I was blogging. She smiled and mumbled something like it's about
time - restart blogging...

It turns out that free education is only so free btw - though we did manage to keep it under $2000.00 this year - so I'm glad of that. I can only imagine what it would have been like if instead of Q, Baby Girl had been our 3rd at PHS this year, we'd have added several hundred more for dance and cheer - at least most likely we would have. So I'm choosing to be grateful about the amount of our fees thank you very much.

I'll keep this one short - but it's good to be back. I know I likely have very few readers left - if any, but once upon a time I said that I do this for myself - so I'll continue to labor under that statement.

respectfully,

-jake

BG's Concert

Baby Girl's recital piece:

Prom 2009 - First Part

I really need to download all the pics from the camera onto a computer and go on a posting rampage - there are so many great things to share...

But - until I do, here are some pics of Sean and his date Eliza from my phone...

P.S. It's a good thing I didn't really have a bet going with Cari on who would post first...

Excuse me. I believe I ordered the large nasal gas delivery system...

Baby Girl lost a filling. We've found the Nitros to be a very helpful addition to our dental excursions. No more screaming, crying, throwings fits, grabbing the Doctor's hands and jumping out of the chair.

- jake

Disney videos of my youth

I loved these when I was a kid. I was talking with my kids about them the other day, specifically about Lambert the sheepish lion, and I found them on youtube - of course. Here they are for my kids, and for you all too. Enjoy.

Peter and the Wolf part 1


Peter and the Wolf part 2


and to complete the wolf theme, Lambert the Sheepish Lion


BTW - I was terrified of these wolves when I was little. For literally years after I first saw them, I was certain that the wolf lived in my laundry room and when it was dark in the house, I'd run like crazy for my bed, and if I couldn't get to sleep, I'd see the wolf's nose edging around the corner of my bedroom door. Chilling! I'll confess that I still get a frisson of remembered fear when those wolves snap those jaws, even today.

- jake

Big dance trophies are cool!

What you can't see here is that the trophy is sitting on the floor (yep - it stands nearly as tall as does BG)

-jake

Books

At the end of our team meeting at work today, after we'd wrapped with business and were just chatting, we started talking about books. Someone asked me if I was a member of goodreads (yes) and suggested that we should be goodreads friends. We went on for 20 minutes asking around about which books we'd read, what each of us like reading, made recommendations and so on.

It was great.

Then I realized that I still haven't really made the effort to keep goodreads up to date, or even to make the smallest effort to actually add books I've read in the past. So at lunch today, I logged into my account and started updating. I've made a small dent, but the process has made me feel kind of weird - almost melancholy. I don't know why - sometimes I get that way in the middle of a Barnes & Noble too. Not sad really, more contemplative. I can't really explain it.

Why is it that my association with books tends to put me in that mood? Books definitely have the ability to cause me to swing out amongst the entire gamut of my feelings. As a kid I spent a lot of time reading. Though I had good friends, I never had lots of friends, so when Bob or Jeff or Brooks couldn't play - I'd read a book. Whatever the case or reason, I still read all the time, at least an hour a day, not counting scripture study. Crazy? Selfish? Perhaps, but fulfilling to be sure.

Ah well. As with all things, I'll try to do better about getting goodreads up to date, so if you're interested in being friends - just ping me with a comment. If not, that's fine too.

-jake

Why Mormons build Temples

Why do Mormons build Temples anyway?

I guess we could thank HBO and Big Love for raising awareness about the Temples built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Temples are built by the Mormon church in obedience to commandments from a loving Heavenly Father. They are built to allow for the conducting and performance of sacred ordinances that enable our Heavenly Fathers children, both living now, and those who have lived in all ages of the world, to receive a fulness of the blessings that our Father desires for each of us.

Why can't anyone go in? Why all the secrecy? It's important to make a distinction between secrecy and the sacred. A careful review of scripture shows us that the Lord hasn't told all things to all people. Certain prerequisites must be met in order to receive sacred information. All members of the church who are worthy and in good standing are encouraged to participate in Temple ordinances, and to do so with regular frequency.

Embedded here is a new video which shares information from leaders of the LDS Church on the Temples. I encourage you to watch it. (P.S. After the video plays, you can scroll through other Mormon Message videos - I also encourage you to do that.)

And you may check out this page for more information and to see pictures of all the Temples arround the world.

Respectfully,

-jake

Cari did it first - but this was cool

Snoozin'

Life is hard when your name is Titan

Welcome to the Prado

Last month, the Prado became the first museum to open its collection to Google’s mapping technology, allowing you to take a virtual trip to Madrid and see super-mega-resolution views of 14 masterpieces.

The paintings include Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, Rubens’s Three Graces, Fra Angelico’s Annunciation, and El Greco’s Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest, and you can zoom in so closely, it’s like putting your nose right up to the canvas (without angering security guards). Other museums, take note: It’s time to Google yourselves.

Check it out here

American Idol Recap

Hey there Danny Gokey - 'nuff said. (I don't think anyone else sang did they?)

Music starts at the 59 second mark.

Just for fun 2 - Wordle is cool

"Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends."

Here's 3rd Nephi Chapter 11:

 

Or perhaps the Declaration of Independence:

 

Just for Fun

Modern English may have stopped the world to melt with you, but in their new video, “Catching Up,” Sweden’s They Live by Night stop time itself.

Directed by Senay/Kolacz, and captured on a high-speed Phantom HD camera at 1,000 frames per second, the video shows us an idyllic picnic that’s suddenly disrupted by a fight. Women scream, bottles fly, a clown tries to break up the fisticuffs — a few seconds’ worth of action that takes three full minutes to unfold. (The snail-paced visuals cut nicely against the uptempo song.) Favorite moment? At the two-minute mark, you’ll see a banana floating through the frame — as if it were in outer space.

Refiners Fire

I received this from my Dad last night – I was impressed enough by it to pass it along.

“I heard a cool story from one of my colleagues at the temple today (Dad is an ordinance worker in the Manti Temple). As background, you need to read Malachi 3:2-3

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

and Moroni 7:48

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

A group of sisters were in a study group when they ran across Malachi 3:3. They wondered what the process is to refine silver. One of them was delegated to go to a silversmith to find out. He went over the refining process detailing how the silver was separated from the ore and all of the impurities were removed from the molten silver.

She had one question: How can you tell when the silver has had all of the impurities removed? The answer: I can see my image in the silver.

Think about it. - Love, Dad”

I’ve thought about whose image I see, and whose it is that I want to see...

Your turn if you so choose

-jake

PHS - Undefeated

So far the Provo High Basketball team has gone undefeated this year, are ranked number 1 in the state, number 17 in the country, and are looking for the third straight state title in as many years.

But for us - the excitement is elevated when Baby Girl gets to cheer at half time as part of the cheer clinic!

Here are some pics from tonight's game:
















Can you see CK?
















QK just hangin' with the Dixon crew
















The game got a little boring at times
















Waiting to Cheer
















Future Cheerleaders























Oh yes - some actual game snaps
















Cheering at half time
















Splits at the finale - too bad she was facing away.
















A moment of counsel - um Josh? Josh? Are you paying attention?

Baby Girl - All Dolled Up

Baby Girl had some surgery last Wednesday.

Doesn't she look sweet?

All went very well!

Lovin the bus?

I have to confess that I really don't, but sometimes I have to make the sacrifice. How about you?

Family History - and my dad used to swear

Last night while spending a great evening with my parents at their home, we were surprised by two things:

Surprise 1 - My younger sister Megan had come into town to be here to help out my Mom after she has surgery on Wednesday, which was a fun surprise, but a large part of that is she brought her employer with her (Meg's a nanny for 6 month old twin boys) and the twins. It was really neat to meet Allison and Nolan and Aidan. What a treat... we had no idea she was coming! The kids miss her since she moved to SoCal, and they had a great time with her.

And surprise 2 - My Dad shared a story about his grandmother and how she taught him poetry when he was a wee lad. I'd never heard this story before, but really enjoyed listening in as he shared snippets of the poem, and reminisced about his boyhood with my boys. It got me thinking that I really need to have him audio journal some of those things, so we can all have those memories, and I'm also interested in what other stories I've not heard.

The snippets he shared last night came from the poem "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes, and the very best part was when my Mom ratted out my Dad by sharing that he used to recite his favorite line over and over which was "I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way" only he mostly repeated the "hell should bar the way"

Granted he was only 4 or 5 at the time, but still, anecdotal proof!

Here's the poem in it's entirety if the kids are interested:

The Highwayman

The wind was a torrent of darkness upon the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight looping the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding--
Riding--riding--
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.

He'd a French cocked hat on his forehead, and a bunch of lace at his chin;
He'd a coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of fine doe-skin.
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to his thigh!
And he rode with a jeweled twinkle--
His rapier hilt a-twinkle--
His pistol butts a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred,
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter--
Bess, the landlord's daughter--
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim, the ostler listened--his face was white and peaked--
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter--
The landlord's black-eyed daughter;
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say:

"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart; I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light.
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

He stood upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair in the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the sweet black waves of perfume came tumbling o'er his breast,
Then he kissed its waves in the moonlight
(O sweet black waves in the moonlight!),
And he tugged at his reins in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.

He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon.
And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon over the purple moor,
The redcoat troops came marching--
Marching--marching--
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.

They said no word to the landlord; they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed.
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets by their side;
There was Death at every window,
And Hell at one dark window,
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.

They had bound her up at attention, with many a sniggering jest!
They had tied a rifle beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" and they kissed her. She heard the dead man say,
"Look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though Hell should bar the way."

She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,
Till, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

The tip of one finger touched it, she strove no more for the rest;
Up, she stood up at attention, with the barrel beneath her breast.
She would not risk their hearing, she would not strive again,
For the road lay bare in the moonlight,
Blank and bare in the moonlight,
And the blood in her veins, in the moonlight, throbbed to her love's refrain.

Tlot tlot, tlot tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hooves, ringing clear;
Tlot tlot, tlot tlot, in the distance! Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding--
Riding--riding--
The redcoats looked to their priming! She stood up straight and still.

Tlot tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment, she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight--
Her musket shattered the moonlight--
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him--with her death.

He turned, he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the casement, drenched in her own red blood!
Not till the dawn did he hear it, and his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs in the golden noon, wine-red was his velvet coat
When they shot him down in the highway,
Down like a dog in the highway,
And he lay in his blood in the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.

And still on a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a gypsy's ribbon looping the purple moor,
The highwayman comes riding--
Riding--riding--
The highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred,
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter--
Bess, the landlord's daughter--
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Alfred Noyes

Aunt Megan Visits!

2009

I know I've been terrible about updating my blog, but I'm going to give it a better shot this year, I swear.

Ta for now.

Respectfully

- jake

Baby Girl turns 9

It's her ninth Birthday today - I can't believe how quickly the time has flown. It seems only a little while ago that she came into this world. I remember the overwhelming feelings of joy that day, and also the terrifying moments when we almost lost mom. Thankfully everyone came through beautifully, and we have our sweet little baby girl - and here she is (apologies for the crappy cell phone photo - I'll update with a better one later) still attired in dance clothes and proudly showing off her new webkinz friends.

We love you baby girl!