Cressler Family

2010-01-08T07:16:00.001-08:00

2010-01-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

This is a test of Cristy's ability to blog with pics.

This is so sad

2010-01-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

Seems my lovely wife is techno-illiterate and can't update a blog. I am shamed but since I love her so, I'm going to give her one more chance before I take it back over.

Catching Up

2009-02-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

From Auntie and the Boys

From Jack's 1st Birthday

From Alex and Max Skiing

Well it has been quite a while since we updated the blog, so here's a little information to catch you up. In October, Jack broke his leg by twisting out of his bumbo seat, but he healed within a month and was out of the cast by Halloween. In November we welcomed Briana and Kyle and Grandpa for Thanksgiving, a good time was had by all. December brought Christmas, a visit from Auntie, and Jack's first birthday. If you click on the picture it will link you to our web album and you can see all the pictures of these events!

Now it is the first of February, and we are all doing great. Mike has started coaching a rugby team, which he loves, Alex is plugging away at the violin and is looking forward to soccer, Max has just started Tae Kwon Do (he's a natural) and Jack is starting to learn to walk. I spend most of the day holding his hands so he can explore his surroundings on foot. Which is part of the reason I have not updated our blog until now! (Other than being lazy :)

First day of school

2008-09-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

After a very short summer it seems, it's back to school! The boys looked so handsome in their uniforms. Max is getting used to having all morning free before going to afternoon kindergarten at noon. It is a struggle! Alex is really liking the 4th grade. His 4th grade teacher (Mr. Carlton) is a lot of fun, and has already told us the class will be making models of castles by the end of the year - and Alex is so excited to build one out of legos! of course. Alex also got his cub scout Bear award and is moving on to Webelos. Jack is just having fun watching all the activity around him. He is already 8 months old and growing way too fast for Mom's liking. He is a very happy baby and loves to smile and laugh. We are truly blessed!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mcressler/FirstDayOfSchool200802#

Sunday Afternoon at Causey Resevoir

2008-08-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Went up with the Cronins to Causey for a picnic and a little play. Had a blast...It was the last weekend of Summer. Ah well, back to school and the grind.

Picnic at Causey Resevior

Summer swimming

2008-08-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed Mark's pool a lot this summer - it is definitely our favorite activity! These pictures were taken the end of July (I'm a little behind on our blogging). Alex LOVES to go swimming and would stay in the pool all day and night if we let him. Max is turning into quite a little fish this year too thanks to a month of swimming lessons - thanks Mark and Janette!

Summer Trip to Spokane

2008-08-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

We just got home from a trip to see Cristy's family in Spokane. There was a big family reunion and we camped out at Priest River for a couple of the days. I think its safe to say that we all had a blast. Zip gave all of us a CD with all the genealogical work she has done on the Shoff side and I'm going through it now. Wow, what a lot of great info. It was good seeing everyone and I think the kids had a blast with the cousins.

Camping in Priest River

Spokane Vacation 2008

Some New Family PIcs

2008-07-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of new pics of the family before we took off to Spokane for a family reunion.

Jack and Cami

Jack gets a tooth

2008-06-25T05:57:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like our little man has sprouted a new tooth. He's been gnawing at things for ages and we just thought that he liked to chew. We were wrong. He has a bottom center tooth that just broke through. Its neighbor ought to be up soon. He told his mom he was going to bite her now.

Alex heads out to Texas

2008-06-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

He has been so excited about going to my sister's house this summer. He flew all by himself with no problems. He told the stewardess that he would be "no problem and very obedient". What a good boy he is.We sure will miss him though. Breezy said she would post pics on her blog daily so we can see what is going on while he is away. You gotta love technology.

Max turns 5

2008-05-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

It was a great day today. Max has turned 5 and is quite the man now! He had a Hazrry Potter themed BD with all his friends. They made potion out of koolaid, gummi worms and other gummi bugs, and pop rocks. The boys thought it was so cool. We had made a 9 3/4 platform sign for the front door plus several stores within the house. Cristy is so good at this stuff. She cam up with a ton of good ideas that kept the kids busy, entertained, and the house didn't get trashed. All in all it was a good day.

Pics to come.

Not such a good day

2008-05-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well, today is a real bummer. Michah J Cronin, who is one of my favorite cousins, died today. We're not sure exactly why but we are so sad and we are going to miss him so much. He was on a job in Colorado Springs and was, unfortunately found by one of his roommates. I* feel so bad for my Aunt, T. Its such a difficult thing to lose a child. While I have not experienced that myself, I have lost siblings and parents, neither of which is an enjoyable experience. We've been flocking to her and Tom's side in this time of need and are hoping it helps in some way. As I was talking with my bro and Micah's brother, we all agreed that the only good thing that comes out of a funeral is that the family comes together. Its actually quite sad, the only time that my mom's side of the family comes together is when someone dies. At the rate we seem to be kickin off, it should be often. I blame myself a bit because I easily fall into the "I'm so busy right now" mentality and then its gone...can't say hi or goodbye. Sometimes life gives us hard lessons, I just wish we didn't forget them so much and need the constant reminder.

Its a wonderful day

2008-04-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

man, I am so stoked. One of my best friends, Glenn, whom I had lost contact with several years ago and could not find, has finally found me! It looks like he is still in Japan. I am so stoked that he found me. Hit me with a facebook invite and wouldn't you know, my work blocks facebook. Had to use my iPhone to check it out and get his email. Crazy. I'm about ready to hop a flight to Japan to see him I'm so stoked.

Work is going well. Seems like there is still a whole lot to learn but I am absorbing it. Like any where else, there are fire drills but I'm happy to be someplace where I can make a difference.

Week one of new job ending

2008-03-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

and not soon enough. While not overly difficult, there is so much to learn. For those who do not know, I'm the Director fo Bank IT for United Health Care and CIO of OptumHealth Bank, UHG's medical savings bank. While I don't have a ton to say since I am still trying to get my mits around everything, it is pretty cool. The people are quite nice!

When the whole Family lands on you

2008-03-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

My sister and 2 of her kids are out visiting from Austin. Its been a blast so far and the kids have loved playing with their cousins. They are all so cute together but , with Cristy, my sister, and Jess all lactating, its been a plain old dairy farm around the house. We all moo as we walk by. Needless to say, we all get punched too.

The babies are all getting so big! Bri's boy must weigh 30 lbs! he is such a chunk but also so happy. He just plays and smiles like he has no sense. Bri's was supposed to leave to go home today but the airlines delayed teh flight for 2 days and she won't fly out till friday now. Its nice having her around a little longer

Family Pics

What the heck have I jumped into...

2008-03-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

My Dad sent me a box full of slides, negatives and pictures is nor logical order or even in any semblance or organization. Some slides where unmounted and many negatives were torn or bent. I decided to tackle this and get them all scanned. We bought a high end film and slide scanner and off I went. After about 2 weeks I had all the slides (600+) done at a good high res (4800dpi if you must know). They spanned most of the 80's and were a blast to look at as I went. I then decided to go after the negatives. I found 4 different formats and could, luckily, mount most.I started with what looked to bethe oldest and dived in. I even took the time to slightly organize them and get negative mounts to store them in. WHAT A BLAST!!!! They start around 1963 and go forward. I have pictures of me and my family I have never seen in my life. I just finished the odd format negatives, the oldest, last night and am working on the 35mm. The 110 will be a pain and I will probably send those out. I now have 10Gb on Picassa and am moving everything up. Since my album is in chronological order, you will need to go to the bottom of the page to see the old stuff. While its majorly time consuming, its also a labor of love. Its like reliving your life all over again.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mcressler

is the link to the main page. Feel free to look around. No laughing though...it was the 80s

Easy as a Sunday Morning

2008-02-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

in fact, it was Sunday morning and we were chillin like villains. I love the pics of Jack and Max on the couch. Alex had been working on a lego space base that he is quite proud of. Enjoy.

The Boys on a lazy Sunday

Pics from a kids perspective

2008-01-30T06:49:00.000-08:00

Max loves to get the camera and take pics of stuff around the house and outside. I don't doctor or change anything. You will notice the halo around everything. He said he had wiped off the lens for us.

Pics from a kids perspective

Jack is 1 Month

2008-01-28T06:42:00.000-08:00

Well, Jack has turned 1 month today. We are all so excited that he is doing well. The jaundice is gone, he is eating, sleeping, and pooping like its no ones business...and it isn't.

Max and Jack

Jack's second day of life

2007-12-30T21:04:00.000-08:00

Both Jack and Cristy are doing well. Cristy is really sore and let her pain meds go a bit too long in between and suffered for it. I don't think she will do that again any time soon. Jack is doing well but is suffering from a mild case of jaundice. He is a little yellow but they have put him in the baby tanning bed and he is looking very good. Both he and Cristy should be coming home tomorrow.

There are a few other stories to tell since I have some time to put this down. As Cristy was coming out of surgery and was being moved into recovery, she began choking. I grabbed her hand as a look of panic set in and the nurses and others began trying to help. She's looking at me like "help me, I can't breathe" and then her eyes roll back and she passes out. I'm absolutely freaking out at this point in time and she comes too and gets the saliva that was choking her down. It scared the crap out of me and the nurses and Dr's in the room. I had images of trying to raise 3 boys by myself. It really scared me bad. All is well that ends well though and she is fine.

As you may remember, we actually conceived twins but one was an acardiac twin. Well, the dean of the school of pathology came to our room last night and asked us to donate the body of the acardiac twin to the school. Turns out that are they not only rare but this one was the biggest, and most complete, they had ever seen. It was pretty much a full sized baby up to the point of the top of the shoulders, where everything stopped. Imagine a Stephen king baby where there is a full body but no head. There were also no real organs but they hadn't done a full analysis until they had our permission. we did end up donating the body to the university for teaching purposes as long as we got a full pathology report. I may post that here if I feel like it.

Enjoy these new pictures, we sure did.

Jack Day 2

Introducing Jack Harland Cressler

2007-12-29T20:33:00.001-08:00

Cristy gave birth to our newest addition on the morning of the 28th of Dec, 2007 to a completely healthy baby boy. The C section went well with her in and out in about an hour. Jack, who was nameless for much of the day, is doing great and beginning to eat well. the boys love him to death... both want to hold him all the time. at the time of this writing both Mom and teh baby are still at the hospital but should be coming home for New Years Eve. I've posted quite a few pics here

Jack cressler Birth

and more will follow

Santa and the Boys

2007-11-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

We took Max and Alex to see Santa this weekend, They both loved it but I think thismay be the last year Alex still believes in Santa. He's a smart kid and is beginning to figure it out. How sad, losing on of childhoods biggest mysteries :(

They are such good boys. Max asked Santa for a couple of presents but also asked if Alex could have some too. Its so nice when they think of each other although I am sure they will kill each other later

Alex Max and Santa 2007

Mike's 39th Birthday

2007-11-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, Mike turned 39 this year! We had a big bash at his favorite BBQ restaurant (Q4U) and then headed back to our place for Black Forest Cake (homemade for the first time by Cristy! lopsided, but delicious :), Guitar Hero 3, and Poker Night. A good time was had by all and we had a blast sharing the day with friends and family. Say good-bye to your 30's Mike! It's all down hill from here. . .

Mike's Birthday 2007

Halloween 2007

2007-10-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween this year! Alex was Harry Potter, and Max was a cute but fierce Batman. We had a lot of fun carving pumpkins and just enjoyed our nice mild weather. The boys didn't last very long out trick or treating, I guess they know that Mom will buy them candy anyway when what they've collected is gone.

Halloween 2007

All Hallows Eve 2007

A cool video explaing everything (string theory)

2007-10-25T12:58:00.001-07:00

Its 2 min long and to the point

Cristy and the Baby...Status

2007-10-25T12:53:00.001-07:00

OK, I will try to make this comprehensive, yet short. Cristy conceived twins but one is what is called a acardiac twin. basically its a Steven King baby. Its not conjoined or anything but it is parasitic. It has no heart, organs, head or much of anything but it is growing. The artery and veins from both babies umbilical cords are connected in the uterus. The good baby is pumping blood for both of them and that can cause heart failure. Now the good news...The good baby is doing ok so far. Its normal weight and length and the heart is looking good. Cristy is getting ultrasounds every week and as soon as the baby shows any sign of the heart issues or fluid build up they will take it. We are hoping to make 35 weeks but we will see. Keep all of you informed.

BTW, its a Boy.

New Job!

2007-10-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I have officially left Fiserv, even though I am doing some short term contracting with them during the transition. I am know employed by the LDS church. I know, what has Mike gone off and done, but I am really excited and stoked about doing this. I will be working for the ICS dept, which is basically IT, and will be acting as a Sr. Prog Man. Not a bad job but I really think that I can help change things for the better. At least I hope so since that is why I am here

Long Weekend at Lake Powell

2007-09-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

We had a blast on Mark's houseboat at Lake Powell. He has a 40 foot houseboat we all pile onto and then pull up some secluded cove. From there we tube, fish,and generally bake in the sun. it was 108 almost everyday. We ended up getting some bad gas out of a aux tank and the speedboat started to act funny the last day. Mark, in his typical take everything apart approach, finally listened and we got the engine started and kept it revved. The gas wasn't so bad it wouldn't burn but was gunked up enough to require a high rev and temp to keep the engine running. We had a tube war to see who could stay in the longest and my cousin, Micah, and I jumped 4-5 feet in the air. We don't have a pic of it but it felt like we flew forever. Enjoy the pics as much as we did making them.

Lake Powell

Last Day in Paradise

2007-08-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Its a sad day! I have to go back and get ready to re-enter the work force again. Boy, I would love to live here full time. We just hung out, took a glass bottom boat ride and lamented our inevitable departure. But like Ahhhnold, I"ll be back.

Kailua - Last Day

Honoka'a

2007-08-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

We drove up from Kailua to my friend Ben's place and then on to Honoka'a. What a wonderful side of the island. Not nearly as desert like as the leeward side of the island. Just lush and tropical. Rained on us a bit but its hard to believe that they are in a drought. I would have never thought it could have happened there.

Ben gave us a tour of his farm. The kids had a blast feeding the chickens. He has a real nice place and is building a second house for himself and his wife.

Honoka'a was a killer little town. Its more of what a typical Hawaiian town is, according to Ben. We met some of his friends and neighbors who were really nice. They seemed suprised to see Ben in town. Seems he needs to get out more :)

Honoka'a

Anaeho'omalu Bay

2007-08-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

This is definitely our favorite Beach. It wasn't crowded at all and had a great reef to swim over a couple hundred yards out. I took Alex snorkeling over the reef while he held onto a boogie board. We also bonded really well doing that together and it made a wonderful memory. I can't wait to do it again.

Anaeho'omalu Bay

Punalu'u and Volcano National Park

2007-07-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic day! We got up early and headed out for the 100 mile trek to the park. It may not seem like far but when you are leisurely cruising at a average speed of 40 - 45 mph, it takes a little timie to get there. We stopped at Punalu'u and played on the black sand beach. It was a beautiful beach with the most interesting black sand, was real grainy. later found out it is because volcanic glass explodes on contact with the water as the lava flows out of the tubes up the coast. Needless to say, we had a blast. We also saw a sea turtle swimming and eating among the rocks. That was cool. I tried to photograph it but it was too elusive. Alex and I strolled along a couple of tide pools and saw a avariety of sealife. He thought it rocked...

But not nearly as hard as the Volcano. Wow, what a force of nature. There was not lava flowing from anywhere we could see, it looks like Kilauea has changed her path. Its flowing into land that is inaccessable and outside the park now. The lava has even stopped flwoing into the ocean now. We were bummed about that but had a blast none the less. We circled the entire rim, took a couple of hikes including devastation trail, ate lunch overlooking the caldera. Hiked along the sw Rift and ust enjoyed the entire experience. Alex's favorite part was tke Thurston Lava tube. You are hiking through a rain forest when it looms ahead like a gaping mouth. You can hike most of its length, there is about 380m that are not developed for tourists that you can go at alone, but it was enough. The kids wanted to do it again. I think to them it felt a bit like a tropical thrill ride.

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach

Volcano National Park

Sunday stroll

2007-07-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

Ouch, are we burnt. Even the parts of my body I put sunscreen on 3x is tender. Cristy has"Red Lobster Legs" from passing out in the sun. Max is the only one not burnt because he took a 3 hr nap under a towel. Hmmm... maybe we should learn from him. We took it easy today. Did a little stroll around town, went up to the Kona temple, and topped Alex's birthday day off with a very cool Luau. The Luau rocked, the food was good, the entertainment was great and we had a blast.

One thing I did notice as I was contemplating things was that even in paradise, nowhere has everything. I was talking to some locals and if you wanted a meaningful job that was not associated with the tourist industry you had to leave the islands. I chewed on this for awhile. Say I did move here and had a great job, what would be offered to my kids outside the tourist industry? Is there anything wrong with that? I could see how people could become jaded living here because it looked like those who had the best jobs or most successful businesses were not natives, meaning local for many generations. I'm not sure how I feel about it but I do think that I need to not take for granted that I can be here enjoying this and be very grateful for being here.

Kailua Kona

A Day at Hapuna Beach

2007-07-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an extraordinary time we had today. The kids played in the water, built sand castles, body surfed and boogie boarded. So did Cristy and I for that matter. I also went snorkeling off a spit of rock that jutted into the sea there. I only had some crappy equipment that was left at the condo but it was good enough and fun enough for all to have a great time. We slathered SPF 30 and 50 on multiple times but still got cooked on the places we missed. We Will definitely be much more conscientious next time we go out, that is for sure. After a fun filled Saturday at the beach, we went out to Dinner at a place called Huggo's. It was pretty good and the view was phenomenal. We really couldn't be closer to the beach than we were. We got home tired, exhausted and cooked but very happy.

Click the pics to see the album

Hapuna Beach

Dinner Out

First Day in Kona

2007-07-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

We got to the condo at the Sea Village in Kailua at 1pm after jetting out from Honolulu. We settled in and immediately went grocery shopping to stock up for the week. Prices, while higher, are really not that bad at all. Our condo rocks and if it were any closer to the ocean, I would get spray from the seawall. Since this is the "newer" part of the island, there are very few beaches with sand but some great snorkeling areas. We were exhasusted and forced ourselves to stay up till a whopping 9pm, a respectable 1 am for us. We are heading out to the beaches in the morning and will see the volcano and waterfalls later in the week.

Sea Village at Kailua-Kona

First Day of Vacation

2007-07-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the big Cressler Family Vacation has officially started. We landed in Honolulu on the 26th and settled in for a night at the Aloha Hotel on Waikiki. It was not the 4 seasons but it did the trick. It was a short walk to the beach and we headed there immediately. The kids had a blast and so did the parents. Max was a little worried about the waves at first but with a little coaxing, he was rolling around in the surf in no time. I realized that for all my effort, I was still the whitest dude on the beach. Ah well, that is what SPF 1000 is for I guess.

Waikiki

Dinosaur Quarry

2007-07-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Cristy and my Aunt Teresa took the kids out into the desert to this dinosaur quarry. They said it was incredible. Supposedly there are thousands of juvenile dinosaurs that all died in a 1000 sq ft area with no signs of trauma to their bones. They jokingly said that they had all died of smoking out behind the school, a nod to the far side. On the way back they had a major blowout. You can see the tire in the pics, it literally just split in two. Luckily no on e was hurt and the could pull over but this is in the middle of the desert and they had seen no one coming out. They had just pulled over when suddenly this British dude named Lennie pulls up and helps them out. They were very thankful because I don't think either would have figured out where everything is and how to run it. All is well that ends well and THANK YOU LENNY!

Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry

Cristy Turns 40!

2007-07-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yep, Cristy turned over another decade yesterday and did we have fun. I did a major roast with her friends and family here. It was a complete surprise because I had played like I wasn't going to do anything for it. I printed out tons of her kid picks and I also made T-Shirts with the best shot of the lot. I am going to post a couple of these along with the family and party shots we did.

The big present was the trip to Hawaii we are leaving on this Thursday. It is going to be a blast!

Cristy's 40th birthday

7 peaks water park

2007-07-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

While Cristy's brother and family were in town, we went to a really great water park and had a blast. It was hot, around 103, so the water felt incredible. We did get burnt but not too bad. It was a ton of fun though and a great bonding opportuntiy. Notice the orange slide. It was incredible...incredibly steep that is.

When Max finds a camera

2007-07-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here is what life looks like to a 4 year old. The only ones he didn't take are the ones I took of him. I have eliminated the ones with fingers in front of the lens.

Alex's Violin Recital

2007-07-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

Alex has been playing violin since Dec last year and has his first real recital. He actually is not bad at all. Two of the pics are vids I took. The sound isn't great but it will give you an idea of how he sounds. I think he is fantastic after only 6 months.

Max graduates from Preschool.

2007-07-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Max actually looks like a grumpy old man next to his class mates. He also takes after Cristy as you can see how much shorter he is than everyone else. He is definitely our little angel... or is it Devil Baby? The jury is still out on that one

Max turns 4!

2007-07-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Max turned 4 on May 23rd and he is now officially a big man. We wre not allowed to even mention the word "Baby" around him. He loves Dora and Diego so that was the theme of the party. He was spoiled as usual but we had a fun, water filled day in the yard. Super Soakers, slip and slides plus running through the sprinklers. Ah, to be a kid again.

Father and Son campout

2007-07-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

We went again this year except this time Max cam e along. We had a blast. Those kids did not stop climbing and playing until they literally passed out. It was warm but not too hot yet and no sunburns. you can see from the intro pictures how tired Max was when we finally got home.

Spring Soccer

2007-07-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Alex played, and I coached, his soccer team again this year. They did really well and Alex is becoming a brick wall of a goalie. Even the other coaches compliment him. I am very proad of him, and the rest of teh team. they all did an excellent job and cam away with a winning season. Max found the camera and took a coupl eof these pics so enjoy.

Mike and his Bro go racing

2007-07-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Ah, how I love to go fast! My brother and I were able to get our cars on track race day for GT Live in late April. We actually did pretty well but my bros MR2 had some significant mechanical problems that prevented him from finishing. Mine is the White STi. Only got passed twice but much better drivers than I. Like I said, it is A LOT of fun! The track is a 4.25 mile 23(?) turn behemoth that hosts some world class road racing. Plus the staighaway with huge left hand sweeper separates the men from the boys. Enjoy the pics. We sure did making them.

Easter 2007

2007-07-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

OK, So what does it matter I took a 4 month hiatus!!! Lets start filling what has been happening. The pics you see are from Easter time frame and contain some good and some bad shots. We actually lost the camera at my brothers house and these pics didn't get found until just recently. I hope you enjoy them because we sure do. We also love how the yard comes into bloom in spring. Enjoy.

A Day at the Childrens Museum

2007-04-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

Alex and I had a Father Son date and went to the children's museum. We have a annual membership so its obvious we like to go but Alex and I had a blast. We did all kinds of fun stuff together. Its good for he and I to bond this way since I'm hoping it will continue into the teen years. Anyway it was a blast and here are some pics

Childrens Museum

Pine Wood Derby Champ

2007-04-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

Alex recently won his Cub Scout Pinewood derby by a landslide. He only lost one match and that was because we didn't have time to relube the wheels. Alex, and I, had a blast. Go to my Picassa web site by clicking on one of the pics in one of the lower posts to see some pics. We had a really cool design and it did kick butt!

Pinewood Deby

Its been a little while

2007-03-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to bump this to keep things moving. We are headed to Hawaii in July. We have a condo on the big island on the Kona coast. It is going to be a blast. The kids can't wait and, frankly, neither can I. We have had wonderful weather lately and its getting us antsy for the trip. Will kjeep all informed as we get closer. I'll also start taking more pics so we can see how things are changing with us.

Back in the Saddle, I think

2007-02-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

I think I am finally back into the swing of things and on local time. It only took a week for it to happen. I really had a killer trip and I am happy to be home but man, work hit full force as soon as I got back. I was on the road again 2 days after landing! Granted, my fam was in Tejas during that time so it wasn't like i was pulled away from them but heck, give me a break. In fact, I'm hitting the road for a couple of weeks on and off and its coming up soon. No worries though since we'll get through it. I have a travel log I have kept of my exploits over the years and I am considering beginning posting it up here. It has more of my private thoughts about places and things I have seen and would definitely NOT be PC by any shake of the word. Not sure if I'm going to do it but we'll see. Maybe I'll put a bit out as a piece of flavor.

Take me back to Paradise City

2007-02-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

I'm on my way back. in fact, I have posted this from a free internet terminal in Singapore at 4:57 am. Its been a good trip and I am very excited t be going back home but a little sad too. I do love travelling and seeing things I've never seen before, tasting foods I've never heard of, and witnessing things I never dreamed I would be seeing. But in spite of that it could never replace "La Famiglia". I'm tired and headed to the transit hotel where I hope to sleep peacefully for a couple of more hours. See all of you soon! Hopefully you guys reading this in Singapore...I hope to see you once more before leaving.

Vrindhavan, Barsana, Mathura, and the pilgrimage trail

2007-01-30T03:47:00.000-08:00

This actually occured Sunday but I haven't had much time to write lately with work and all. I had the chance to do the Krishna pilgrimage trail. Hindus believe that Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu. Vishnu is the Supreme God whom all serve. While I won't take this space to dive into Hinduism, but its remarkably similar to primitive Christianity and Judaism. Anway, I went to the Shri Krishna Janmaboomi ( The birthplace of Krishna). Was pretty cool to see. Huge temple next to the site because the Muslims built a Mosque over the site much similar to temple Mount. Hmmm. I see a pattern here. turns out the Taj Mahal was a shiv Temple prior to being partially destroyed and a Tomb built. Turns out most Mughal timbs are old Hindu temples that have been destroyed and rebuilt. Anyway, i saw the birthplace, where Krishna defeated an evil tyrant very similar to Herod. this guy heard Krishna was going to be born and would destroy him. He destroyed hundreds of kids to make sure he got Krishna but Krishna was spirited away to live elsewhere with Step parents. Very interesting correlation to another story I know. Anyway. The places were exceptionally cool and I saw much of the countryside. I didn't take nearly enough pics of what I saw but It was really a great trip. Very exhausting and tiring but very good.

I've uploaded some added pics, including some more of the Taj Mahal. You can't take pics of teh temples interiors and its hard to get far enough back to take pics of the outside since these are embedded in little towns but trust me that they are great.

Agra, Vrindavan,Mathura, and Govardhvan

Click to see all pics

Cruising Delhi one more time

2007-01-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, am I tired. I hit everyplace I hadn't before and saw some things twice. It was still fun though. Started off incredibly foggy and there were some major accidents on the way out. Was a bit chilly too although it heated up as the day went on. In fact, I was sweating pretty good by mid-day.

I had to take a couple of new American dudes from work down to Red Fort and Chandi Chowk. I walked it this time and saw more stuff. It was funny because one of teh dudes smokes and got chewed out by an indian woman for smoking in the markets. We had a snath in Paratha Gali, which means street of teh Paranthas. Paranthas are a fried bread you each with curry. It was a tight squeeze but the food was good. We also went to Jantar Mantar, a set of HUGe astronomical instruments built into the ground. Check out the pics to see just how big. The sundial is accurate to 20 seconds. I checked it. From there we went back to India gate and I could finally get close enough to see its also a memorial to the fallen soldiers from all the wars. After that we went to an outdoor market. It was crazy with people and hawkers shoving stuff into your face. I've learned enough Hindi to tell them to take a hike and it seemed to work. A little language goes a long way. Finally we went to Humayun's Tomb. Its pretty dang impressive and 64 people are buried with him. He was the G gandson of Genghis Kahn. Pretty cool. The pics do it great justice nad I have pics of the plaques to show what I don't type here.

Finally we had dinner at Connaught Place, or CP for short and headed back. I finally go to sleep at midnight and had to get up at 5am for the next days trip

Delhi and Environs

click to see all pics

A trip to see the Taj Mahal

2007-01-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful trip today. Went to Agra to see the city and the Taj Mahal. It really is as beautiful as the pictures yousee. No wonder its one of the 7 wonders. It was also not too crowded since we got there relatively early. I took some great pics, some even with me in it. Click on the pics to see them all.

Agra-India

I also went to Mathura to see one of the oldest temples dedicated to Vinshnu still in operations. I couldn't take any pics but needless to say, it was very cool. I also went to a Hare Krishna temple. That was weird! The Shiva temple was less weird than that. I do give the locals this. They truly believe and practice their religion. There is a definite feeling of spirituality here.

I also hit the Agra Red Fort. It was pretty cool and has a bit of history. Its across the river from the Taj and Shah Jahan built his private apts, and his daughters with a special tower where he could look out upon his dearly departed wife. This last line was censored by Cristy.

Slept during much of the drive, it about 3 hours from Delhi. I am hoping to go to Jaipur this weekend. Its supposed to be very cool and have killer shopping. I'll keep all of you mugs informed

Straight out of Noida

2007-01-17T01:28:00.000-08:00

No pics this time but some thoughts and observations. In the past couple of days I have had some great experiences. I was invited to the home of a very nice person for a typical Indian lunch. It was fantastic. Besides loving the food, I had the most interesting dessert. It was shredded carrots cooked in milk, I think, with sugar and spices added to boot. It was great. Sweet enough to satisfy the best sweet tooth and yet mildly healthy...It was just carrots. Their house was really nice and very well decorated albeit a little small. Regardless, it was great.

One very odd thing is the pervasiveness of livestock on the roads. Coming back from work to the apt last night there were 2 donkeys cruising down the left lane on the highway. A 3 lane on each side highway. There is also 2 cows the cruise the road in front of the bldg. Its weird but, considering the local beliefs, understandable. Still, I see monkeys.

This weekend I am going to Agra. This should be a great trip since I really want to see the Taj Mahal. There are other really cool sites as well that I think would be quite interesting. I'll take plenty of pics and post all I have. I am considering a trip to Jaipur next weekend to check things out. I'll have to take a Bus or Train to get there and stay in a hotel but it should be good fun. I hear Jaipur is incredible. Will keep all informed.

Lastly, I had a great conversation with a Hindu Monk. We talked for a couple of hours and it was quite enlightening. Clarified a lot of my misconceptions about Hinduism and validated my belief that at the core, all ancient religions are really the same.

Well, back to work. I will post again soon.

Chillin in OId Delhi

2007-01-14T04:31:00.000-08:00

I had quite the day today. I went for a walking tour, sort of, through Old Delhi. I saw tons of things. Ghandi's Cenotaph (Rajghat) and its surrounding parks, the Red Fort, built by the Mughals (Muslim0 emperor Shah Jahan. Its was a spectacular complex but most of the buildings were shutdown for the upcoming Republic Day. Seems 3-4 years ago, some Pakistani terrorists tried to blow up the place during Republic Day since the PM gives a State of the Union Address there. I hired on a Rickshaw (BIG mistake) for a tour of the old town. Wow is it a crazy place. Its exactly what I pictured Delhi looking like. Masses of people and shops. There were Guild Areas, temples, claustrophobic streets...the whole shooting match. I also figured out, after talking to my company assigned driver, that I got ripped off for the charge. I paid 1000 Rupees (~25 bucks) for it and he said I should have paid maybe 600. Hmmm. Not a lot in the scheme of things but I don't like being taken advantage of. Went from there to the National Museum and saw some incredible stuff. Seems the Indus (Vedic) civilization came up at the same time as the Egyptians and was much more advanced in many ways. lastly, I went to Connaugt Place. A shoppers paradise with name brand stuff and a killer bazaar. I went looking this time but will be going back to buy some stuff for sure.

Old Delhi

Click to enjoy the pics

There are around 150 pictures here with small description. Enjoy!

India, Baby

2007-01-09T05:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm in India. Noida to be exact. They have me staying in some great apartments even though they are in the middle of nowhere. In fact, most of them are empty and still under construction. BUT the locals assure me that the address I am at is the new posh district. Take a look at the pics and tell me how posh it is. Actually, the units really are nice.

The smog is absolutely unbelievable. My eyes actually burn at times. Since they are having a record cold spell, it will hit freezing tonight, all the homeless or tent/shack dwellers are burning files of foul smelling wood and stuff. It almost smells like sandal wood. Regardless, it makes for an interesting stay.

Noida,India

Click for picassaweb photos

I went to dinner last night in the equivalent of a food court. The food was good but it was really weird to have to go through a metal detector just to get into the mall area. Its crazy but I understand why with the killings, bombings, and stuff.

These shacks are crazy and literally right behind the house. I can throw rocks from the balcony and hit it if I tried. I also watched these women with baskets on their head move an entire mound of dirt. A tractor could have made short work of the dirt in 3-4 scoops but they just kept walking from one mound and spreading the dirt out in this open area. They were done by end of day and it probably cost a butt load less than hiring a tractor. Makes it easy to see how the pyramids we built.

India

Click for Picassaweb photos

That reddish looking shack is a tea shop and cafe. Not sure I will be visiting that one.

The smog is horrible here. I actually had my eyes burnin. A lot of the poor people are burning trash or something to keep warm as India is experiencing record cold temp. It should be freezing tomorrow.

Its actually not as bad as I initially thought. Yes, the apt is miles from anywhere and I feel like a prisoner at times but work is good and its pretty interesting here by the office. I'll get some pics of it but it is amazing how you can have a modern office bldg in a slummy neighborhood that the locals say is actually pretty nice. Wow, how perceptions rule our thinking. I suppose its really not that bad.

Hangin in Singapore

2007-01-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I am here in Singapore and at this point am actually headed to the airport to fly to India. I'm going to be in Noida for almost a month. I'm kind of looking forward to it but I'm really beginning to miss the family and I haven't even been gone a week. I did get out and see quite a bit of the city and met some old friends a few nights. It was wonderful seeing them after 6 years. It was amazing...Just sat down and picked up the conversation like nothing no time had passed at all. Kristoff and Simmone are doing fantastic and are trying for kids. They really haven't changed a bit. Good on them. I didn't even get sick this time! Anyway, if you want to see more pics than this click the pic below to go to picassaweb

Singapore Photos

Playing with the new toys

2006-12-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

Ahh, the joy of parenting...toys that require"some assembly". Alex got this Kenex Roller Coaster that stands 5 ft tall! Took 3 days to actually build the dang thing. Needless to say, itys the funnest stuff we got...Plus all pics are taken on my new camera :) alex too to Othello like a champ and beat Cristy right out of teh gate. Smart kid.

Family Photos

2006-12-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

We finally got the pics back after a couple of months and we love them. The one of all of us sits over the mantle now. I hated spending the money but it seems to be worth it. We needed these to capture all of us at this point in our lives.

Hard Rockin Guitar Heroes

2006-12-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

I got a Guitar Heroe game for my BD this year and it is so much fun. We have all become addicted to it, including the kids. Alex and Wes love to jam when they can and Max likes to get into the mix. Needless to say, Cristy is by far the best in the house. It must come fromall those years of being a GNR junkie.

We're going riding on the Polar Express

2006-12-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

The Heber City Historic Railroad puts on a Polar Express trip every year. This is an absolute blast since my kids love the PoleEx. They serve hot chocolate, have a Conductor and Santa is picked up in the middle of a snow covered valley about 30 min into the wilderness. His sleigh is having issues and he needs a lift. Finally, he meets all the children and gives them a silver bell. It was so much fun and the kids loved it so much. Looks like we are starting a new tradition.

More Powell pics

2006-12-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

Fun on Lake Powell

2006-12-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

This actually went down in Oct but I forgot to post the pics. My bro has a house boat on the lake and the clan gathered. We had a blast. We fished, skied, and tubed. The boys had a knock off challenge and it was pretty brutal. My bro Robby and I were thrown from the tubes at ~35-40 mph and it HURT. We did get it on video and I truly skipped across the water n my face! All in all, we had an absolute blast.

Fall Fun

2006-11-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

Fall has officially arrivd when th eleaves begin to fall, and boy do we have leaves. This pile is from one of the Aspen trees we have and we have tons of pears too. The kids love it though. Alex wanted us to bury him in the leaves and we obliged. The third pic is really cool because we got the leaves in focus and Alex in the background. Its a pretty neat effect.

All Hallows Eve.

2006-11-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

Just a couple shots of our new dalmation and a roque clone trooper. They ended up with quite a haul too. Dad had to tax it!

Cub Scout Regatta

2006-11-18T12:53:00.000-08:00

Alex had his first Cub Scout Regatta in late Oct. He is such a man. He made his own boat, for the most part, and it did pretty well. He was very proud of it and I am very proud of him. Go Alex!

A warm day at the Pumpkin Patch

2006-11-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

We took th eboys to get pumpkins mid Oct and it was WARM. We were all in shorts and having a blast. The kids loved the hayride and Alex thought the tractors were the best thing since popcorn. We cam ehome with entirely too many pumpkins but had a blast anyway. Soak up all the warmth possible until winter arrives.

Vacation Pt3.

2006-09-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Though it might be a good idea to put a couple pics of Cristy and I. Plus the last pic is how we all felt when we finally got home.

Vacation Pt2.

2006-09-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here we are boating and with cousins. We also went to Silverwood, Id while we were up there. Needless to say, we all had alot of fun.

Family Vacation, Spokane Style

2006-09-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

We went up to Spokane for a family gathering. It was Cristy's family first ever family reunion. It was a blast. We camped up on the Pend O'Reille river, went boating, hiking, and just plain had fun. We even did the cheesy requisite reunion games; 3 legged race, egg toss, etc. All in all it was a absolute blast. Really makes want to buy a place on a lake or river to get away to. Would be alot of fun!

Alex turn's 8!!!

2006-09-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Our big boy turned 8 on July 29. He's gotten so big that I can hardly believe it. He started 2nd grade this year and is doing pretty good so far although the waking up early is his least favorite part of the day. We had a fun party for him and his friends including a slip and slide in th efront. I tried it and I don't seem to slide like I used to.

Do NOT take a picture of a cop...

2006-08-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this. There have been a couple of arrests recently for people taking pictures of a cop, or a police action. There are sufficient details about this on a variety of sites that I don't feel the need to include the full story but suffuce it to say that the Police are getting a bit uppity. Since when is taking a picture impedeing a investigation. Since when is video from a survelance system considered a violation of wire tap and survelance laws? Blame it all on the kneejerk reaction to 9/11. The terrorist truly suceeded if their intent was to creat panic and fear. The only problem is its the Gubment we should fear!

Utah Le Mans Grand Prix

2006-07-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

I was actually doing some of the flagging and communications for the ALMS Grand Prix. It was awesome! I was right on the track and had a killer view of all the action. I spent most of the time on a very technical corner and got to witness some pretty cool driving... a few wrecks too. I've been racing for quite a while but obviously not at this level. Heck, I just think its cool that I was able to participate. Alex loved it too. He wants to get into kart racing. We'll take him out and see what happens. I've included a pic of me and some of my favorite cares. I also got to see, and sit in, a Bugatti Veryon. Only 1.5 mil if you have it!

Day Out With Thomas...Pt2

2006-05-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

A Day out with Thomas

2006-05-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

We had a day out with Thomas on Saturday. We went up to Heber City Historic Railroad and had a blast. The kids loved riding the old train all while being pulled by Thomas. Old kids had fun too although going through the Thomas gift shop could cause your wallet to shrink significantly. Most pics coming.

Soccer Man!

2006-05-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Alex has been doing wonderfully in Soccer this year with me, the Dad, as his coach. My goal was to get all the kids actually playing positions and since they seem to have mastered that, they have since been undefeated. I'm really proud of the kids and Alex in particular. He has been doing great.

MaxTurns 3!

2006-05-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Max's third birthday today. It was a blast. We had a pinta, some of his kid frinds and a Thomas Cake the Cristy made. Max got covered with frosting, as you would expect, and played. he was out by 7:30 tonight.

Two Little Boys

2006-05-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

The boys have gotten so big these days. I swear I blink and they grow a foot. Alex will be 8 in July and is already 4ft tall. It never amazes me how big they are.

Lets Go Camping!!!

2006-05-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

Alex and I went camping this last Friday and had a blast. We went a good ways out into the the Desert SW of Salt Lake City. The Butte in the picture actually has ALex standing on the top! Climbed up there by himself. We had a wonderful time together and can't wait till Max is big enough to come along. We took the telescope with us and were able to look at the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. It was fabulous! Cristy had a fun night at home with the chic flicks... Glad she enjoyed it too!

Pics of the new house - Outside

2006-04-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of you have asked me to post some pics of the outside of the house. These were taken after the snow melpted but the flowers hadn't bloomed yet

Easter Morning

2006-04-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Its Easter morning and Spring flowers are finally up. We've been trying top get the yard back in shape as the weather warms up. I was so happy to have a big yard until I spent 3 saturdays just weeding the dang flower beds. But all is well that ends well. Its starting to look nice.

Max the destroyer is being very good today. He was really excited by what the Easter Bunny brought to him. That is the look of pure glee in that picture. Alex as a bit grumpy and didn't want any pics taken.

Here come Peter Cotton-Tail

2006-04-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for Easter. Things are good although Alex has developed a it of a 'tude at school. he walked out of his class 2 days ago because he didn't win a prize. he also told his reading teacher we wasn't going to participate. Needless to say, we had a long talk and threatened him with bodily harm. Actually, we threatened his electronic entertainment and he snapped right back into shape. I still think the bodily harm would have worked tho. The house is doing good. Our spring flowers are in full bloom and looking good. We're slowly getting the rest of the house in shape and hopefully will stop unpacking stuff soon.

Killer Fun-time

2006-04-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

We had the whole family over tonight. My bro Mar, his family, Robby and Sarah, Teet, Tom , Shane and some famly friends, Dwayne and Leann. It was a blast. Teresa made old skool Chicken and Dumplins and Granny's fried chicken. it was awesome. The Te Hira's brought this killer raspberry and meranque dessert that rocked. We all hung out and shot the breeze till pretty late, we all ended up leaving due to kids school the next day. The craziest thing is , and I do not know how she did it, Courtney threw a roll up through the ceiling fan blades and into the lamp on top of the ceiling fan. Amazing shot. We figure, after we beat her butt, that we should get her into professional B-Ball. All in all, it was a good weekend.

2006-04-02T20:40:00.002-07:00

Fun in the snow

2006-04-02T20:40:00.001-07:00

Alex at the sledding hill

2006-04-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

Narcoleptic Baby

2006-04-02T20:39:00.001-07:00

Brrr. Its Cold

2006-04-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Alex at the SLC temple at Christmas

The remodeled kitchen

2006-03-29T18:14:00.000-08:00

We added new appliances, hardwood floors, granite countertops and travertine backsplash. We just love cooking in here now

2006-03-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

Looking down from upstairs

Some pics of the new house...Prior to remodel

2006-03-27T15:22:00.000-08:00

OK, here is the front of the house from the street. We're on a cicle, which is nice. I like the farmhouse look. the porch goes almost all the way around.

The kitchen was horrible when we started. The floor was really broken up and the appliances were ancient

Looking into the living room.

Master bath

Bloggin for the Man

2006-03-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

I goota say its been a good day. Work is going, we're starting to settle into the new house and...well, I guess that's it. Work is finally seeing the advantages of re-engineering the product and we are making significant headway.

We're trying to figure out when, and where, to take our vacation. Any ideas would help as long as it is FREE!!! A dang new house is expensive and I gots ta keep the Land Lo' off my back. BAck to the grind. I'll post some pics of da family and the new digs tonight.

2006-03-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

My favorite Ride

First and Foremost

2006-03-27T14:08:00.000-08:00

This is a family blog. I can't promise I'll keep it up but I will definitely do a little writin' I may even throw in a pic or two.