Peggy's Nine Lives Run Out

The car paused at Liberty and Oklahoma, I wait for a gap in traffic to turn right. Across the road, shoppers go about their normal Saturday business at the new Wal Mart. But this isn't a normal Saturday for me and Peggy. It's just us two; none of the children wanted to come with me, including my eldest daughter, who has a special kinship for Peggy and all animals. Resting nervously in her carrier, Peggy doesn't make a sound. It's the second time in as many days that she's been taken somewhere unpleasant, but this time she won't be coming home.

I make my turn and head for Peggy's final destination, the Humane Society of Westminster. It's an hour-drive, so I have some time to think. But I don't feel anything. I drive through Westminster and continue north towards Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Wow! where is this place? Finally, the woman in the GPS tells me to turn right onto a country lane. It hugs a small hill overlooking a pleasant, little valley with a small pond at the bottom. I park the car and get out. Geese rest on the water; it's a beautiful day for December. I walk into the building and see a room full of cats to my left. An older woman helps me check Peggy in.

 "It will be $40 to euthanize her," she says.

 "But an employee told us it would be free," I protest.

 "Are you having financial difficulties?"

 "Well, it did cost us over $500 in vet bills to get Peggy's diagnosis."

 Though I point out she only has my word, she readily agrees to not charge us. I thank her and when we're done, another employee takes Peggy to the back. Now I have to wait.

 *** 

 It's October 1, 2013, and I'm heading to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, or AOPA, in Frederick, Maryland to check on job prospects. On the way there, I stop off at my boss's sprawling 40 acre estate to see it for the first time. The estate is well-hidden off a small road and up a small country lane in Mt. Airy.

What greets me is a stately home that's really just two homes in one. In addition to James (my boss) and his family, James's brother-in-law and his family live in the house. I pass an incomplete horse barn, which James has been feverishly building for several months. I go up to what I think is the front door and knock. James lets me and and takes me around his house.

At one point, we go into the basement, which is in reality, a pottery shop that his in-laws run. While in the shop, a beautiful Russian Blue cat, begging for an ear scratch, rubs against my leg.

"What's that?" I thought. "It's hobbling. Oh, I see, it's missing a leg."

"Her name is Peggy," James says.

James offhandedly offers her to me and explains that they keep her outside because her friendliness is a tripping hazard for the shop's customers.

"She's a feisty cat," he says. "She easily handles our two other cats who try to harass her."

Peggy wasn't always James's cat. She hobbled onto his property some time before and adopted his family. It wasn't until James's vet came to his house that they found out where Peggy came from. James never explained why the vet came to his house; maybe it was to check on James's horses.

Anyway, the vet saw Peggy and mentioned that she had been his cat, but didn't offer to take her back. Peggy had been hit by a car, the vet said. That's why she was missing her back right leg and it's why her tail was short.

I'm amazed that she had hobbled from the vet's home to James's without being attacked and eaten by a fox. It's clear that Peggy had a deep account at the Bank of Life and had been wise with her money. 

I bid James goodbye and continue on to AOPA. I later tell Micaela about Peggy and mention it might be nice to get her for Christmas. She agrees and I talk to James about it.

I arrange to take my two girls and pick her up on Christmas Eve. We bring her home and she becomes an important part of our lives, especially mine and Hannah's. Her spryness continues to amaze me as she goes up and down our stairs faster than us.

She maintains a good standing at the Bank of Life, cashing in one of her lives when she disappears soon after we get a dog. Months later, a neighbor informs us Peggy was being taken care of by another neighbor, who watches over many strays. When he finds out she's our cat, he lets us take her home. While she shied away from our dog before, now she dares our beagle to attack her by sleeping on the same couch. She's clearly taken back her domain. But her account at the Bank of Life runs out.

In November, 2015, we notice she has gained a lot of weight, which is uncharacteristic for her. We monitor her situation and finally decide her body cavity was filling with fluid. We take her to the vet, where they drain a large bowlful of fluid. Peggy has cancer, they say, and it's terminal.

 ***

"I'm sorry for your loss," the Humane Society worker said as he hands me a bag with Peggy's lifeless body inside.

The bag is decomposable, meaning I would be able to bury Peggy in the bag.

I mutter thanks and as I'm walking out another employee expresses his condolences. I think about Peggy on the way home. 

When I get home I put Peggy on the picnic table and the kids clamor to see her. I ask them not to open the bag, but they want to see her. I've never liked seeing dead bodies, even my Grandma Hess's when she died in her sleep, before the morgue took her body away.

I finally get around to burying her early in the evening, and my second daughter helps me. Or at least tries to. I'm still upset from Peggy's death that I end up driving my daughter away with my ill-temper. All day since returning home I have been snappy,

Finally, night comes and it's time for sleep, In a few days I've moved on, but will always remember the cat who never let a missing leg affect her ability to have a normal life.

Life's Perspective

I find this helpful in putting things into perspective: http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1289877050001

Yearly Update

It's been far too long.

We are now back in Murray living in Grandma Challises basement apartment. We sold our Salt Lake home in anticipation of a job transfer, expected to happen in June. We put up our house in early January thinking it would take us a while to sell. We were surprised when someone put in an offer within the first week. After some minor issues, we were able to move out in early February. It was an aggravating house, but a good one too. I learned a lot from all of the fixes we had to make and I learned what to update in a house when one wants to sell it.

Actually, everything just fell into place. Grandma Challises basement apartment was going to be vacant until June and she needed someone to come live here (as she has been having many health problems). She was ecstatic when she learned that we sold our house because Micaela was so helpful the last time we lived here. It's also interesting to note that her health has been doing so much better since we've been here. It seems that Someone is looking out for us all.

The ward has gotten a lot better since the last time we were here. I was more than ready to get outta here the last time. The positive changes have come largely in part because several people have moved out and have been replaced by much more pleasant folks. Micaela wasn't treated well in her calling as a choir director and we were snubbed by some couples in the ward. Bottom line, a lot of worldly, unfriendly people.

Now it's different, there's some kind couples in the ward, and I think I've changed some too.

On to other news: When Eliza saw that the deacon who would be passing the sacrament to us was a little husky, she asked, "Mommy, he has a baby in his tummy?" several times. I had a hard time not laughing (not because the kid was big, but because... Kids say the darndest things). It's funny how little kids will take what you say about one person (she has a big belly because she's pregnant) and apply it to everything else.

Hannah is doing well in school. Her best subject is math (pilot in the making) and she's beginning to sound out words. She and Eliza play together really well. Hannah is a natural leader while Eliza is a follower.

As the weather has gotten better the girls have been playing outside more. I must say some of my happiest moments are watching them play together outside and talking to them about topics such as Canadian Geese, the snow on the mountains, and where Sam the Cat is buried. It's fun to see them explore and wonder at the world around them. I hope my kids never become disconnected with the real world in favor of the digital world.

Mommy's 'Day off'

Miceala took advantage of the good weather we've been having and had a coop yard sale with some other women in the ward. They decided to have the yard sale at a friend's house who was closer to a busier street than the one we live on. In addition to selling some stuff we no longer needed, Mic went ahead and printed off several copies of our MLS listing for the house and even made out a poster. More on that later.

While Mic was at the yard sale, I watched the kids at home. Admittedly, I complained because I had some stuff to do and because Saturday is really the only day I get off (forget Sundays with my calling), but I also realized that I had left Mic with the girls several times for business trips. At first, I just had Eliza as Hannah wanted to see what the yard sale was all about. Eliza is so fun to be with and easy to take care of; she can entertain herself for hours. It was a joy to be alone with her for a little bit.

When Hannah came home, I sent the two girls off to play with each other (we've been trying to get Hannah to play more with Eliza lately) while I painted the frame to our utility room door (we had to buy a new door with louvers because of the furnace (code reasons)). Afterward, I took the girls to the local tot lot and was pleasantly surprised at the absence of any teenagers (there's usually a bunch of them there swearing and such). Hannah complained to me that it was boring (no swings) but Eliza sure enjoyed the small slide there. I tried to make it interesting for Hannah by playing games with her, which included going down the slide (not a comfortable experience. Oh, I miss the old metal slides). Finally, we went home for lunch and naps.

Naptime was another adventure. Eliza hasn't had much interest in naps lately. She'll go down fine, but then it becomes a whole new level of playtime for her. From 1-4 pm, she sang to herself and played with what she had available to her in the play pen. Poor Hannah tried to sleep but gave up after about an hour. Shortly after getting up, Hannah and I went outside so I could 'till' the garden with Hannah. That didn't last long for Hannah; she ended up playing: first by herself, then with her neighbor friends. Unfortunately, her playtime was short lived because she disobeyed me and rode her tricycle down the block. In our neighborhood, we're very careful about letting our kids out of the yard because it is Salt Lake's ghetto. I was pretty upset because she had been disobedient several times throughout the day (she does have quite a strong will). Overall, it was a good day. I got to spend some time with my girls and got some good things done.

Back to the yard sell. We actually had a little more success with the home advertising than selling out stuff. Mic had one person express interest and said he would drop by on Monday. In addition, I showed a couple around last night who said they had learned about our house through the yard sale. They seemed genuinely interested; which is more than we've ever gotten before. But I'm also realistic, knowing that nothing's a done deal until the closing papers are signed.

Moving on Up...

To all my fans (Jamie and Jen), here is my latest edition:

Since taking that trip...

I transferred into the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR) of the navy. That means I no longer have to do the weekend drills or the two weeks a year. It simply means that my name is on a list that if they ever really needed me for a deployment, they could call me up. Because I have an eight year commitment, I'll be in the IRR until August 2010 after which I will have no more obligations with the navy :-)

I thought my life would be a little less busy after I went IRR... I was wrong. I was called to be YM President and my life hasn't known very much rest. Although, I enjoy this job much more than being in the navy.

I also took Hannah with me camping down at the San Rafael Swell. My dad and brother, Ryan came along. It was really nice.

On to more recent news: We're getting ready to put our house on the market next month. We have a few things that need to be fixed, but they shouldn't be too major. We're looking all over the place (SLC, south SL valley, and north Utah County), although we have one house we're particularly interested in not too far from where we're at. It's a home built in 1895 by George Q Cannon's son. This individual (can't remember his name) was the first architect in SLC. The home is gorgeous. Most of the first floor has been remodeled; most of it's historic architecture has been preserved. It sits on almost an acre lot and fronts the Jordan River. I'm sure at the time, it was probably considered a mansion. We would love to have it, but are trying to balance our girls needs with our wants. We just hope we can sell our current home in this economy.

End of Summer

Since my last blog, we went on a family vacation to Southeastern Utah and I went on a week-long scout camp.

We took Hannah with us on our trip, but left Eliza with my parents. We went to Cove Fort, Goblin Valley (where we camped our second night. We spent the first night at my in-laws house), the Four Corners Area, and Moab, Utah. We really liked Goblin Valley and were impressed with the camping facilities (they even had showers). The most interesting part about the Four Corners area is that it's on the Navaho Reservation, so it was really like stepping into a different nation within the US. Unfortunately, on the morning of our thrid full day, Micaela got conjuctivitus in her left eye. We spent most of the day looking for a Dr. in Monticello and then in Moab. Fortunately, we got into the Moab Hospital ER where she received treatment. We spent the night in Moab, then went to the Colorado River to relax. Our last day, we went to Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands National Park. We enjoyed our stay, but as usual, it was too short. We especially enjoyed having Hannah with us.

The week after I went to Boy Scout Camp at Bear Lake with the scouts in our ward. Turns out, it was a merit badge camp (something I never got to do as a scout). All of our boys ended up getting multiple merit badges and all were good examples to me. I'm always impressed with how much the youth teach me when I'm supposed to be their leader. I really am learning the value of our youth.

Since then, our life has kind of returned to normal. Hannah started preschool a couple of weeks ago and hasn't been enjoying it as much as I thought she would. Of course, she's been battling strep throat the whole time. Eliza still can't walk, Mic is keeping busy, and life goes on.

We're wanting to move next summer. I have mixed feelings because I like this ward and the neighborhood, but I know the school system here isn't that great and the crime is higher (along with gang activity).

Until next time.

Idaho Trip and Other News

Life has been a little hectic since Father's Day. First, I'll start off with our trip to Idaho Falls, Idaho.

We packed our bags and took the family up to Idaho Falls on Friday afternoon. Micaela has a brother who moved up there a year ago with his family because of work. Of course, we hit traffic almost immediately and were stuck in it from North Salt Lake all the way to Layton (Yuck!) We didn't arrive in Idaho Falls until around 9:30.

The next day we got ready and went to what gives the city it's name: some small waterfalls on the Snake River. We took some pictures and feed the local water fowl population.


Hannah and the Idaho Falls Temple


Haley holding Mom and Dad's Hands


Hannah & Haley Feeding the Ducks and Geese



Idaho Falls Temple

After that, we went to the local zoo (who knew Idaho Falls had a zoo?). I wasn't expecting much, but was pretty impressed what that little zoo had. They had all sorts of small primates, some big cats, and various other animals.

Lion at the Idaho Falls Zoo


Monkeys Grooming each Other


A Siberian Tiger


Aleah, Eliza, Hannah, and Haley

We then went back to Challis and Nancy's home and had lunch and put the girls down for naps. After the girls were up, we drove south the Lava Hots Springs to take advantage of... the hot springs. It's actually quite a drive (about 60-70 miles south of Idaho Falls). We were surprised to find out the local city pool is separate from the hot springs. We were told that no kids under two were allowed in the hot springs (which means we wouldn't be able to go) and that there was no swimming (like a hot tub). Based on that, we decided to hit the swimming pool. The girls had fun... actually only Eliza had fun in our family. Hannah was too terrified to let go of whichever adult was supervising us. Eliza, on the other hand, was splashing all over the place and even started kicking her feet. I even held here flat to the water and we cruised the pool; she really enjoyed that. At one point Nancy put Eliza in a kiddy tube. While I was watching her and Hannah, Eliza fell through the tube to the bottom of the pool. I pulled her out immediately and thought she would be traumatized. She was just coughing up water and trying to get her breath back; when she was all settled I put her back in the tube again and she was as happy as she was before (it was Hannah that was terrified).


Challis, Nancy, and Their Girls


Eliza, Myself, and Hannah (This was right after Eliza took the Plunge)


Challis and Nancy Having a Water Fight

On to some other topics: Last week for Independence Day we went to Mic's brother's house, Paul, for a BBQ and to watch the Sugar House fireworks display.

Micaela holding Hannah and Myself Holding Eliza (with Paul pulling a lovely pose in the background)

It was fun, but traffic was awful getting out. The following day, we toured the Beehive House (Brigham Young's home) on Temple Square and ate at the Lion House as a family.

I finally finished the pantry: finished painting the door and installed it, installed the carpet, and hung the shelves back up. It's pretty empty now, but we hope to fill it with our food storage before too long.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you daddies out there. It's a good day; the weather's perfect and the day has been relaxing.

A little update: Our family went with our neighbors and friends to Farmington Canyon to go camping on Fri night and Saturday. It was nice to get away, but I wasn't too impressed by our campground. The picnic tables were in a sad state and it wasn't all that great of a location. We even had to pay a fee. Makes me wonder where all that money is going to. The girls were another issue. Eliza had issue sleeping thru the night (not a surprise) and Hannah was really disobedient and sassy. She's bound and determined to do whatever she wants. I'm afraid she'll be one of those teenagers who'll need to learn on her own why she should do what her parents ask her to do/not do.

Our neighbors are awesome, though. They're really easy going and good with their boys. This is the second time we've been with them camping.

Last Wednesday our stake had Lagoon day. With our free entry pass, we had about six ride passes; I think we took advantage of almost all, if not all of them. There was hardly anyone there so we didn't wait that long in lines at all. It was one of the best family experiences we've had in a long time. It was just nice to enjoy being together without having to get after Hannah every few minutes.

Life's good (just wish it could be summer all year round), not much to talk about now.

Gas Prices, Park City, Etc.

Gas Prices

I want to start out by discussing gas prices. I'm just as ticked as the next guy that prices are skyrocketing. I don't believe getting the government involved will help (when was the last time the government did something right?). Who really wants Uncle Sam taking over more control of our lives? Just as there is a solution to the border, there is a solution to our gas crunch, but our politicians (not statesmen, because they almost don't exist) are more concerned about pleasing their lobbyists and parties than doing what's right for our country.

Well, I also believe there is a silver lining or two to this current crisis. I just saw a story that got me a little excited over the possibilities. UTA is talking about increasinig development around their transit centers (including the intermodal hub in downtown Salt Lake City). It gets me excited because we'll be taken from our 'boxes of isolation' (i.e.: cars, SUVs, trucks, etc.) and thrown in together with a bunch of strangers where we'll have to actually talk and get along. In addition, we'll see more walkable communities where stores are brought to us rather than us having to drive 10, 15, 20 minutes or more to get our shopping done. This will also force us to communicate more with our fellow men and break down any barriers of misunderstanding that exist because of the current set up of our society. I know, the internet/TV/video games will act as a counterweight to this, but the possibilities are exciting.

Another silver lining is the fact that companies are forced to develop cleaner, more efficient vehicles. They're also forced to develop viable alternative technologies to oil, which will benefit us greatly in the long term by taking us off our dependence on foreign oil and help clean up the environment.

Park City

Micaela and I stayed up at a nice resort below the Canyons Resort in Park City last weekend. A time share company (West Gate Resorts) put us up there for free if we would listen to a 90-minute presentation. We vowed we wouldn't buy into it, but as our tour of the facilities progressed, Micaela and I became more and more interested. By the end we were really considering buying, but asked for a week to decide. Our salesman said that would be fine and then talked to his manager. The manager gave us an offer we couln't refuse. He offered us a unit that was available because the previous owners had upgraded; he offered it to us at the price the original owner paid for it which means we would get instant equity just by purchasing the unit. We bit the bullett and got it. We've had some buyers' remorse but are happy to have it and hope that we and our family will get many years of enjoyment from it.

Home Remodel

To all my adoring fans, I'm sorry that it's been over a week since I've updated this, but here's another update.

Chris, the contractor we hired to finish our pantry, finished what we contracted him to do. Unfortunately, we still had to do the trim and throw in a rug to finish up. He did a fairly good job. We just had him sheet rock, paint, and put up the shelving. On Saturday, I measured, bought the trim, and installed it. It looks a lot better, but the door was hung crooked by none other than Michael, the drunk contractor. His craftsmanship is sub-par for a professional; he also did the fascia and trim wrong on the front of our house and it didn't solve the problem that I hired him to do. I guess I'll call him tomorrow >:(

The weather's been strange for this time of year, quite cool. I'm hoping summer will make a reappearance.

It's depressing the think about getting out on a trip with gas prices skyrocketing. I only hope they never reach $5 a gallon.

Our neighbors to the north of us don't like us. We only did three minor things to make them mad at us. First, we don't have a driveway so we have to park on the street. They, on the other hand, have quite a large driveway but only like to park one care in there. In the past, they've parked their car in front of our house. One day I got tired of it so I asked them to not park there. They agreed, and for the most part, have complied. The second incident came when their teenage son swore in front of Micaela and one of our girls. Micaela asked him not to swear in front of our girls; since then he hasn't even acknowledged our existence. The third incident occurred when a drunk friend of theirs came to the house at 11:00 pm with his stereo blaring. I asked them to turn it down; don't know if that also offended them. Since those incidents, no matter how nice we are or what we do (we've said 'hi', taken them cookies, etc.) we can't make it off their black list. They really seem bothered that they can't park in front of our house (despite the fact we don't have a driveway and they do). They're Mexican and I only bring that up for one reason: can anyone explain their culture to me to help me understand what it was that we did wrong? If they're like Filipinos, being direct is definitely a 'no-no', in which case we should have a used an intermediary. Whatever the case may be, they certainly don't like us.

Next week is Hannah's fourth birthday and we'll probably be going to Liberty Park for an informal party. Anyway, that's all for now.

I'm Home

I never have enjoyed long flights, especially red-eyes. The flight from Honolulu to Salt Lake is about six hours leaving at 9:30 pm Hawaii time and arriving in Utah at around 8:00 am Utah time. Airline seating is awful unless you're willing to fork out the extra thousand or so they demand for first-class seating. I only dozed off once and that was for about a half hour. Needless to say, when I got home, I was pretty disoriented. I ended up taking a three hour nap.

Later that day, we went down to my parent's home to visit for Mother's Day and give her some gifts. When we got home, I started feeling sick and it went downhill from there.

I had an awful night and was aching all over my body. In addition, my throat and stomach weren't feeling well. I ended up staying home from church with Eliza, who was also sick. Even today, I'm feeling a little queasy, but I'm improving.

We've had another contractor over to finish our pantry, which Michael never got to because we fired him. If you don't know about that already, send Mic a PM on her Facebook account. She'll tell you all about it. Our new contractor is much more reliable and good to work with.

By the way, what's wrong with you Utahn's? I think I specifically requested good weather when I got home from Hawaii; after all, that's why I chose Feb-May timeframe for my business trip: to avoid the cold Utah weather.

I've got a lot of projects on the table now that I'm home, but it's taking me longer to recuperate than I realized it would. I think I'll be pretty busy during the next few weeks catching up.

One thing that's encouraged me is Eliza is pulling herself up to standing (with support) a lot more than when I was here last. She's still pretty clumsy when we help her walk. We think it's a sensory problem. On a sad note, Hannah is really struggling with her potty training. We don't know how we can convince her that it's much better to use the toilet than stay in diapers. It's really concerning because she'll be four in less than a month and should be starting pre-school this August.

The home looks a lot better with the improvements; I especially like the new master bedroom. I've included some before/after pictures.


This is looking to what is now our bedroom closet


This is our bedroom closet after the remodel


The side opposite the bedroom closet

Time to go home

Well, now that I know that I have a fan (Jamie), I guess I'll have to post something once in a while.

Yes, it's my last week in Hawaii and I'm glad. I don't hate Hawaii or the people, I just miss my family and Utah. Hawaii is starting to become my second home. I've made some good friends this time around. The perfect arrangement would be to come out here for work from October to May and then go back to Utah for the other six months. The weather is awesome, the scenery is breathtaking, the people are great, but it isn't home. The other downsides are the cost of living (astronomical, but not as bad as California) and it is a small island (Oahu) so one tends to feel isolated.

I leave on Friday night and will arrive in Utah on Saturday morning. I've been taking it easy... too easy. I'm supposed to be preparing for a PRT in a couple of weeks but the closer it gets, the more I detest exercising. I hate it anyway, but having to be tested on it makes it that much worse. It's my last one (cross my fingers) since I'll be going IRR (inactive ready reserve) beginning in September. After that, I'll have two more years left on my contract and I can almost guarantee I won't be resigning.

I finally got out and snorkeled; three months here and I've only been snorkeling once. I went with a bunch of my friends. I've also had the opportunity to go to the temple in Laie a couple of times; sadly, more than I usually go at home.

On the homefront, Micaela hired someone else to finish our pantry and I've been impressed with how fast he's progressed. I haven't heard if he's finished (I'm sure he has), but I also haven't heard any complaints from the Misses.

Eliza actually stood up on her own without any support of any kind! While Mic was in the playroom with her, Eliza just randomly stood up. I don't think she's done it since, however. I wonder if she's just not wanting to learn how to walk right now.

Hannah's finally starting (the key word being starting) to want to complete her potty training. You know the Iraq War? I was beginning to think Hannah's potty training was like that: a lost cause.

Justin leaves for an internship in DC the day before I get home. He'll be gone for three months as well.

This is probably the last time I'll write before I go home.

5 months later...

It's been a while. I guess I just got lazy and the winter blues just overtook me. I'm not a fan of winter at all. Oddly enough, I actually enjoy January and February more than November and December. Micaela thinks I'm odd because, as she says, at least there's something to look forward to in November and December. For me, it's the fact that we're plunging head-long into winter that makes me hate those two months. On the other hand, January is the beginning of the end of winter. I also hate the build up to the holidays and how busy and commercial they've become, especially Christmas. I'm a simple guy and I like to keep everything simple, including Christmas. I enjoy Easter much more because it is warmer and the true meaning of the holiday hasn't been steam-rolled over by big business. I guess it's just nice to get back to normal after the holidays.

Well, a little bit of news from the past five months: Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went before we knew it. Micaela had a hard time without her parents. They're in Guatemala on a mission. They'll be home for next Christmas. We spent Christmas day and the next few days at my in-laws' condo up Beaver Canyon. It was nice except Eliza was grumpy. Jumping forward to January, Micaela and I took advantage of a free night stay at Johnsonville Bed and Breakfast in Midway, Utah in February. Probably one of the best getaways we had. The view was breathtaking and it was so peaceful up there. There was also about 3 feet of snow. We plan on returning this summer.



Unfortunately, the Monday after I took off to Hawaii for a temporary transfer. Because of the circumstances, I couldn't bring the family. I spent the first five weeks of my free time working on an online class and then Micaela came with Eliza. It was nice having them but one week is too short. We were able to do some whale watching where we spotted two humpback whales. My parents arrive in a week for a little R and R.

While I've been away, Micaela hired a handy-man to do various work around the house. The biggest project he took on was remodeling the playroom into the master bedroom. Unfortunately, the handy-man gave Micaela a lot a grief with that last project so we had to fire him before he completed it. Eliza has also been developing slowly; she rarely pulls herself up to standing and she's 15 months old. Micaela's been working with health professionals to determine if there are any serious issues with Eliza. Hannah has been Hannah; her speech is really developing and I can have a basic conversation with her now.

I've got a few months left in the navy and have one more PRT cycle, which I need to prepare for. I'm looking forward to going home; I've been really busy at work.

Jazz Game

I'm not a huge sports enthusiast, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to a Jazz game with a friend of mine. The last time I had attended a game they played miserably and lost by a huge margin. We left at the end of the third quarter.

This time the Jazz were coming off an incredible season where they had made it to the Western Conference Finals. It was their season opener at home and it was a rematch of one of their playoff foes, the Rockets. Though the Jazz lost, it was still an exciting game to watch. At first, we were in the 'nose-bleed' section, but in the middle of the third quarter my friend's grand-mother-in-law (who is a Jazz usher) called him and told him there were some seats available six or seven rows behind the Rockets' bench. Now that was cool! I had to resist the temptation to rub my eyes several times because I'd never been that close to the action. Of course, I had to call my brother Ryan (who's a rabid Jazz fan) and brag to him about my experience.

Moving on. Life's going well; today is Mic's 24th birthday. There were a few firsts for us today. Eliza finally started saying 'mama' and Hannah bore her testimony in church (kind of).

That's all for now.

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Church Callings

Well, I'm alone because my wife and daughters went to my brother-in-law's new house to help clean. I didn't get home from work until after they left. I was gonna read a book I checked out from the library, but it looks like Mic already took it back.

Anyway... I have been serving in the Young Men auxillary since around March of this year. Initially, I was called as the second counselor, but prior to our leaving for Hawaii, the president moved and with the new president, I was called as the first counselor. I've enjoyed working with the youth; it's reinvigorating. However, I'm not pleased with the organization. Through the last two presidents, we haven't had a single presidency meeting. Currently, we're having issues planning more than a few months out. The disorganization is appalling. We were supposed to all be at a meeting this last Sunday, but I was the only one there (admittedly, I had forgotten to call the teacher's quorum president on Saturday night); the president wasn't event there. So church, starts and no sign of the president. We're down to the last meeting, Young Men, when he finally shows up and asks me to teach the priests. To be fair, his wife just had a baby; and I expect that he'll miss a meeting here and there. But he doesn't even call me and he almost always seems totally unprepared. This is just one example of the issues we face. Don't even get me started with the scouting program in this ward.

Despite the problems, I love this ward (much better than my last ward where I never really felt like I was welcomed). There are some wonderful people here, but we are really lacking in priesthood leaders.

Other news: Shellie had a birthday on the 23rd and Mic will be having a B-day on November 4th.

That's about all.

Fall is in Full Bloom

Yeah, I know. Fall doesn't bloom... it falls. But I think it's appropriate considering that almost all of the trees leaves have turned yellow, orange, and brown; the temperatures are a little cooler; and there's snow in the mountains. Winter is fast-approaching.

Hannah has FINALLY begun potty-training. She has her good and bad days.

Eliza continues to crawl and actually likes crawling to explore different places rather than crawling to find mommy or daddy.

I had drill last weekend and I finally past my physical fitness test. I have one more test to go with the navy and I'm done. I can't wait to get out.

We've been helping my brother-in-law finish his house in Grantsville in preparation for their baby to come (which she did last Wednesday). Unfortunately, he probably still has a good month's worth of work left on his home before it it finished.

Don't have much else; it's been a slow few weeks.

Eliza, Orrin Hatch, and other Stuff

After our anniversary trip, life's been kind of... boring. But things are still happening.

On September 25th, Eliza started crawling. Unlike Hannah, Eliza never scooted. And unlike Hannah, she'd rather be held than crawl. However, she's getting faster by the week and does like to investigate the house, even the cat food. She's growing fast, a lot faster than Hannah did. She's now over 20 pounds; Hannah struggled to get 20 pounds at one year. Unfortunately, she wakes up a minimum of four times during the night.

I've been 1st counselor in the Young Men's presidency since July. I never was excited to accept the call, but I've grown to like it over the months and feel comfortable around the young men I'm over. Activity is tough and inconsistent among the young men. It's something we work on.

On Friday night while shopping at the Albertsons on the corner of 9th West and North Temple we ran into one of Utah's senators, Orrin Hatch. When I first saw him he had his back to him and I thought he was well-dressed for shopping at Salt Lake's ghetto Albertsons. Later, I saw his face and knew it was him; his wife also called him by name and there was no doubting it then. He looked like a fish out of water and frankly, we were quite surprised he was shopping at that particular Albertsons. When we thought about it though, he must have just returned from D.C. and was in town for the LDS General Conference. That Albertsons is between the airport and downtown.

Fall is here and every weekend since our trip it's rained. Though I dislike the timing, we need the moisture after the hot and dry summer we've had.

That's all I have for now.

Fifth Anniversary Trip

It was short but sweet. Three days isn't long enough. Seven days should be the minumum. Our trip to Southern Utah for our fifth anniversary was awesome

Last Thursday we left and on our way dropped the girls off at my parents' in American Fork. We spent the next 3 or so hours taking Utah's less travelled highways. After we exited I-15 in Nephi, we took state highway 28 to Gunnison (the least interesting part of the drive).

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In Gunnison, we hooked up with US Highway 89 down to Salina. From Gunnison, the scenery began to be beautiful.


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In Salina, we got onto state highway 24, and from here the scenery just got better and better as we got closer the Capitol Reef National Park, our destination for the night. Unlike Utah's main thoroughfare, I-15, we hardly saw anyone on 24 all the way to Capitol Reef. It was nice for a change.


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Once in the park, our plan was to camp in the established campground, but it was full. Upon the recommendation of one of the park rangers, we decided to camp just outside the park 'at large'. Much better than staying in the campground... more on that later. Before we left for the campground, though, we took in some of the sites. We first checked out the main area of the park, Fruita. Fruita was an old Mormon settlement that had a lot of orchards (many of which exist today). Some of the original settlers' homes and other structures exist today.

We than checked out some Freemont Indian petroglyphs:


Freemont Indian Petroglyphs

And then it was on to a short hike up to an arch (I believe it was Henry's Arch):


Mic gazing at Capitol Dome on our way down from the arch.


Henry's Arch?

After our hike we went back to Fruita to get some water and then it was on to find a camping spot. We found a nice semi-isolated spot on the east side of the park. I say semi-isolated because it was just off the road going to Notom. We had cars that would go by but we were the only ones there and after about 9:00 that night, not a single car passed by until the morning. We were fortunate enough to find a spot next to a little stream. We were surprised because usually those desert streams are dry by late summer. We had a little dinner and set up the tent. We thought about sleeping under the stars, but decided against that because of scorpions, tarantulas, and coyotes that might be in the area. In fact, that night we heard some coyotes.



View from the stream out to the east side of the park.




Me getting the coals ready for our dinner.

In the morning, after we broke camp, we went to the center of the park. We followed the road until it forked and continued up the left fork until it ended. From there, we took a trail to the tanks (water collected in natural sandstone basins). These tanks are unique in that they receive enough shade that they keep their water year round and they even have their own little ecosystems. Two of them were quite accessible and we were able to spot some tiny frogs living there. On our way down we found the largest tank of them all and an arch just below it. Unfortunately, this tank was inaccessible for us.



View of the top two tanks.



One of the tiny frogs.



A lizard we saw by the tanks.



The bottom tank along with an arch.

After the hike, we decided to depart to Zion's. The quickest way from Capitol Reef to Zion's was to start out on state highway 12, which is designated a scenic byway (and rightly so). The beginning of the drive takes you up to the heights of the boulder mountains (almost up to 10,000 feet). From the top of the drive there is a good view of Capitol Reef and the surrounding areas. Beautiful views. From the Boulder Mountains the highway descends down to Boulder, Utah.


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Capitol Reef from the Boulder Mountains.

After Boulder, Highway 12 enters the north end of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. This area alone is worth a trip. At one point the highway passes over a ridge; on both sides is a drop-off and no guard rail. Definitely a place I don't want to be at during the winter. We passed by Calf Springs campground and a trail, which I've been told is quite beautiful.

From the national monument to highway 12's terminus at US highway 89, there are many scenic spots to stop off at; one of those being Bryce Canyon National Park. Unfortunately, we only had time to do a driving tour.


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After that beautiful drive, I couldn't imagine that the rest of the journey to Zion's could compare, but I was wrong. I was pleasantly surprised at how green and beautiful the drive was along Highway 89 to the turn off to Zion's. I've already decided to buy some land to retire on in that area. It was a much more pleasant drive than taking I-15 to southern Utah.


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And once we got in to Zion's, it was spectacular. The east side of the park is just red sandstone that looks like they used to be sand dunes. And growing on top of them are pine trees. The landscape was surreal. Going through the tunnel was also awesome. The tunnel follows the side of a shear cliff and ever so often there were windows that looked out onto the park. Unfortunately, there was no place we could pull off and look gaze out those windows.

From the park, we continued straight to our motel in La Verkin.

Unfortunately, the next day was rainy and we weren't prepared for it, so we opted to take in the sights of Kolob Canyon, the northeast section of Zion's.


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The rainy weather actually made for some good picture taking of Kolob Canyon. I didn't realize that its beauty would match that of the main part of the park.


Kolob Canyon


Kolob Canyon

Kolob Canyon

Our trip was coming to a close and we had to head on home, but we decided to make a pit stop in Micaela's old home town of Fillmore. After visiting with Julie and family for a while (Mic's sister), we went to Cluff's to eat (an old fashioned diner). They're a fickle restaurant, closing at the drop of a hat, so we wanted to take advantage of it while we could.


Me waiting for our order at Cluff's and wishing our trip wasn't ending.

So it ended. It's something I'd like to do a few times a year, if not more. This is why I love Utah and won't leave. I used to think it would be great to live elsewhere, but I really can't complain about this great state. So many different landscapes within a small area. Not too many place like it in the world. Although, fall and winter are coming upon us, and I'm really not too fond of that aspect of Utah...


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Drill Weekend

I just completed my drill weekend for September. I'm in the Navy Reserve and drill here in Utah. I know... "Navy in Utah?". That's just the way it is.

I never was active duty. I was recruited here in Utah and have never been on a ship; I haven't had a true navy experience, I guess.

This wasn't my best drill weekend. We have a new chief who is very much into the military side of the navy. Sometimes, I feel like I'm back at boot camp. He seems to think he needs to militarize use, even though many of us have been in at least three years. I've been in five years and have a year left until I go IRR (YES!!!!).

I mean... what is it with many chiefs in the navy? Do they think that khaki uniform makes them that much better than the white hats? Are they that much better than a PO1 (where the chief is an E7 and the PO1 is an E6)? I don't think so. An example is I had sent an e-mail to our ops chief (who I actually like) and cced our CO (which has been something our COs in the past have requested). I may have skipped the chain of command by not contacting my LPO first, but it was an item that needed to be taken care of ASAP.

This other chief got upset with me because... "I'm not supposed to cc the CO on anything unless it's urgent and needs immediate action". Though I disagreed with him in principle, I agreed to make that my new SOP in the future. The thing that bugged me was he lectured me THREE different times on the matter. I'm not stupid... I got it the first time. That wasn't the only thing that he got after me for, but I won't get into that.

I swear, many of these chiefs are just on a power trip. They think they're gods. Whatever. This is one of many reasons (not to mention that the navy is THE worst bureaucracy that I have personally dealt with) I will NOT re-up with the Navy.

In addition, I failed my weight portion for my PRT, despite the fact that I work out much more than I did when I first joined. This is another big reason I'm getting out. I struggle with the PRT and dread it each time.

It hasn't all been bad. I've made some really good friends; in fact my best friend I've had in a long time is in my unit. I've also been more conscious about my eating habits and physical fitness. It has also taught me to be more assertive (because heavens knows, you need to be in this organization that "looks out for its sailors").

I'm sorry to those of you who've had a different experience than I have and think I'm in left field. Maybe serving on a ship is a better experience (less politics); I don't know. Just keep in mind, this is one man's experience and hence, one man's opinion.

Arts Festival

I remember growing up wanting to see the world (heck, seeing the other states would have been great for me). I've been blessed in that regard in that I've been able to visit most of the western states (with the exception of Montana and New Mexico), Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and Hawaii. I've also been fortunate enough to visit the Philippines for my two year LDS mission. My trip to the Philippines was pivotal in my life because I saw how fortunate I was in America, but I also grew to love a different culture that despite their hardships, keep a good attitude.

But when it comes down to it, I'm a Utah boy. Over the last few years I have developed an appreciation for everything local (culture, food, arts, etc.). Sure we have our share of problems and I'll be the first one to acknowledge them, but Utah is a wonderful place to live. Which leads me to our activity last Friday night and Saturday.

We were fortunate enough to be able to go down to Fillmore (where Micaela was born and raised) and take part in the Old Capitol Arts Festival. For those who don't know where Fillmore is, it's a small down in the center of Utah and at one time was the territorial capital of Utah, hence the name of the Arts Fest. My mother-in-law was actually instrumental in getting the arts fest started. The focus was on the local arts, much of it influenced by the old west (as Fillmore is primarily a farming town). My sister-in-law is an avid quilter and collector of historical quilts, so she had a fascinating display of quilts ranging from the early 1800s to the early 20th century. There was also a black smith, stage coach, Civil War display, and much more. They also had a stage set up under a tent that had performances throughout the day. The highlight concert was "Fire on the Mountain". Honestly, I'd never heard of them, but I guess they're a pretty popular bluegrass band; pretty entertaining.

By far my favorite display was by a local artist very gifted with woodworking: Tim Lockwood. He had on display many fine cabinets, jewelry cases, wood sculptures etc. that he had meticulously crafted. Unfortunately, his prices matched his pieces' perfection. Some year, I'll get me one.

And what would a western arts show be without western food. I was able to get me a very delicious pulled-pork sandwich. Oddly enough, out of all the food vendors, there was even a Chinese food stand (not sure that there was any Chinese influence in Fillmore's history. In fact, I'm not even sure that there are any Chinese in the area today. Oh well...).

We were all able to get something from the event. I got a colorful Trivit, Micaela got a "Families are Forever" sign, we got Eliza an 'Eliza' sign, and Hannah got a wood-crafted toy rocking horse.

It was a good weekend for all of us. In fact Hannah had a really hard time coming home. Wish all of our weekends were like that.