A Few of My Favorite Things...

My friend, Davis, was convinced I wouldn't update my blog last night and he was right. At this point it seems like such a daunting task but I have to start somewhere. These are a few of my favorite pictures starting from tonight and going all the way back to mid-July. I have no idea who reads this blog but I hope you have a few minutes...and thanks

I saw this sign when I was driving to my in-laws to help them move an exercise bike tonight. I think I'm going to set it as my desktop background at work. I love it and Carrie thinks it's artistic, I think it's just a good idea:



Last night a group of neighbors went to Big Cottonwood Canyon for a little FHE in the MTS. The weather cooperated nicely. Here's a shot of Carson, Tanner, Anna, and Mikey working the rock face:



I like this blurred photo of me and the Cam-man coming down the hill. It's symbolic of our entire existance, seemingly in control, confident, filled with promise...but really it's just a blur and you're not sure of what's really happening. I mean, you can't even see Cameron's face! Am I leading him to joy and happiness or destruction and misery? Is that even Cameron at all? ...and what does it all have to do with The Cure? I have no idea, but it's cute.



Parker was complaining of a stomach ache, we never really did figure out why...



Last week I went to The Dead Weather concert (it's not as gloomy as it sounds). It was one of the best I have been to. Here are a few of my best shots with my point and shoot camera in a low-light situation:

Jack White from The White Stripes:



White normally plays drums in this band. The sound is very unique (think gritty electric blues) and hearing them live was incredible.



Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age, Alison Mosshart from The Kills, Jack White from The White Stripes, and Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs.



Here's a great picture of Carson looking closely at a bee. Carson is the big, blurry face in the background:




On our Anniversary we took a hike to Donut Falls. The boys and I were ready to go but we had to wait for Carrie to finish lunch...






Freakin' cute boys:



....and then the rest of the family....



Funnily enough, it was our anniversary but we never did get a picture with just the two of us. I guess that's what happens when kids come poppin' around, eh?

Stay tuned for Island Park/Yellowstone, Zions, and girl's camp. Oh yea, and teaching Cameron the finer points of Flight of the Conchords: "New Zealand's 4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo"



Peese

Cleaning Out My Closet

A while ago I blogged a thoughtful insight into how I might be like my father. This one has to do with my mother. Without going into the psycho-babble of it all...my mom likes to collect stuff. Some if it is sentimental, some if it is useful, a lot of it is neither. My closet is my own personal space in the house that I can do with whatever I like. I recently (and Carrie a long time ago) realized I had too much and it was overflowing. Carrie thought it would be a good idea for me to let the world in on my world...

Spot the: Mission pictures I haven't done anything with in 12 years, newspapers I kept from hurricane Katrina, Handyman magazines full of good ideas I'll never do, old Jazz ticket stubs, framed segment of A Proclaimation to the World that the Hansen's framed and gave to us for our wedding (recently taken down in the remodel), two "mini" toys cars picked up in England, old bass module from some computer speakers (maybe it will come in handy one day), and a picture of me playing on the floor with my kids two years ago.



I don't consider myself a packrat, but what do you do with decent shoes that you don't wear as much that are in good enough condition not to throw away but bad enough that I can't give them to the D.I.?

Spot the: 3 pair of Dr. Marten's that I wore on my mission and can't bring myself to toss even though I'll probably never wear them again (they may make a good object lesson for Primary some time), the pile of 15 sweatshirts I still wear, the football helmet bank I made in jr. high, the box that had my snowboard bindings in and is now full of tapes nobody in their right mind would listen to again (well, maybe one day...)



This is just another angle of the previous pic. Spot the 30th Anniversary Cure calendar I special ordered from the website and don't do anything with, England Birmingham Mission Christmas group photo, map of England, and 3 Cyprus High School Piratescope directories.



My favorite are the little sentimental things I come across and am glad that I've kept for some reason like anniversary and birthday cards, old Jazz tickets, a review of the Greenday concert I went to with my brother and nieces, baptismal program from my neices baptism, old Stratosphere ticket stub, plane tickets to Seattle, a raincheck from Blockbuster for the movie "Batman begins
from 2005, my old Frankie the Brave Fireman book from when I was, like, 6, and Frank Newman's (sister's father in law) funeral program.



The best was finding a journal from 1988. I was in 6th grade and 12 years old. Carrie and I have been laughing about some of the things I wrote, like "Today I got up real early, like about 3:30 am. I got up and went into the kitchen and my mom, Rod, and Shauna were in there talking so I just got a drink and went back to bed". What were my mom, brother, and sister talking about at 3:30 am in the kitchen?! I will never know. I remember my mom staying up all hours of the night baking wedding cakes. My job was beaterlicker. Carrie said she knows I had a good childhood but she feels sad for me when she hears me read my journal. Here's the last picture that's a tribute to my mom (Carrie is making some blamtastic cookies right now!)