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.