Sunday Morning

Yesterday my dad and I rode almost the whole way up to crown point from my dad's house. For those of you who don't know it is almost 8-9 miles....all up hill. It was fun. The trees are all changing colors, the air was crisp, it was quiet, minus the sounds of nature. I hate the rain in Oregon, but when it is not raining there are very few places I would rather be.

Shirey and I went to the temple yesterday with my dad & Rebecca (my dad's wife). It was nice to spend time in the temple. Two things I love about the temple: the quiet & how clean I feel when I am there. As I was coming out of the dressing room I ran into Todd Rowley who had just gotten married! I had heard that he was getting re-married, I just didn't know it was so soon and that it was going to be on that day! It was good to see him and chat for a few minutes.

My little brother Jesse is getting ordained an Elder today! It's a big deal. I am really happy for him.

Bike Ride

My dad and I went for a bike ride up the Scenic Columbia River Highway on Saturday. It was a really nice ride. It was one of those days that is inbetween Summer and Fall. The air was a little colder, but it was still sunny outside. We rode along the Sandy river for a while and I found myself wishing that I still lived in Troutdale. I miss the 5 minutes drive/ride to get to the gorge, the beautiful water and trees, Browten's Bluff that I used to run up when I was 35 lbs lighter. It was a fun ride down memory lane. I also couldn't help but think of Saturday morning bike rides beginning with Frank Card calling and trying to get us to get up and go out with the scouts. It's funny how differently you see the same events in later years. Now I look back and I think what a fool I was. I had unlimited time to go out with my best friends and see the world in our back yard and all I could think about was sleeping in. I would love to have the kind of free time and the minimal responsiblity that I had then. Do it....Today. We ran into the Riding's from my home ward while we were riding. It was good timing as we were climbing a little Mt. Everest and needed the break. For those of you who don't know my dad has lost 40-50 lbs and is now lighter than me. I'm not a huge fan of being heavier than my dad. It is funner to go on rides with him though, as I don't have to wait up for him so much ;) One of the little girls in our ward was diagnosed with Lukemia. My problems and wants seem a little smaller today. Been dieting...again. I lost 7 lbs this week. Probably not a healthy amount to lose in one week, but I just want it gone. I figure by March I should be at my ideal weight if all goes according to plan.

Twilight

Ok WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THE "TWILIGHT" BOOKS?????!!!!! My wife is addicted to them. She has read all four of them at least TWICE and every Mormon girls blog or Face Book page shows these books as their favorites. Just want my wife back ;)

IPod Nano

Last spring we had a family challenge to work out 3 times each week for 3 months. At the end of it those who stuck to it the whole time received IPod Nano's complements of my brother Ben. He told me it would change my life, i.e. make it better. I'll admit it is pretty sweet. I keep discovering new little features that I hadn't previously known about. The question is - Did it change my life or make it better? I think so. I have been downloading the general conference talks from the LDS.org website and listening to them on my 1 1/2 hour commute to work (ughh!) I also have enjoyed the podcasts. There are plenty of LDS podcasts out there, as well as any other possible subject you can think of. "Ninja Warrior" is my favorite podcast I think.

I'm a bad blogger

I've decided that I am a bad blogger. At least as far as frequency of posts are concerned. Two weeks ago I spent a week in Boston getting training for work. I have decided that I am not a big fan of traveling for work. It may have been the jet lag from the time difference, but I spent the whole time missing my family and wishing the week were over. I could have gone and seen Harvard, or MIT or historic sites, but mostly I hung out in the Hotel room and fell asleep watching TV at 8 or 9 pm and then would wake up at 11pm and wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. This was my first work related trip and it felt like a marathon. Maybe it would have been funner if I had gone with someone that I knew. It has always been challenging for me to be in environments where I don't know anyone. If I know at least one person I am generally more comfortable.

Shirey is currently under treatment for some benign growths on her thyroid. She is radio active woman for the next 4-5 days. We literally have to keep at least 3 feet away from her at all times. She seems to be doing OK other than complaining that she can't pick up her little girl and that she can't cuddle.

In august we went to Wallowa Lake in North Eastern Oregon for 5 days. It was a lot of work and fun. Baby's under two like dirt. They like to eat it, lay in it and throw it. Good times. The weather was great and we all got sunburns/tans. I had told Kai previously in the week that he could pee in the water, because at the time we were wading around and no one would know. One of the last days that we were there we were swimming at the lake and Kai had to go potty. So he walks out on to the dock - where everyone can see of course - and pulls down his pants to his ankles and starts to pee in the lake. He was also a big fan of peeing on trees.

Bagel Time answer

Sorry for taking so long to post the answer, but here it is --

Bagel time is when the cast gets together to do the Evening news.

SNL Trivia

I think that I might add some SNL Triva Questions to the blog now and again, taken from the new SNL Triva Pursuit Game I got brand new in the package at a garage sale for three dollars. Question #1:

What part of the show gets put together on Saturday at noon in a meeting SNL Writers call "bagel times"?