Merry Christmas

Have a Merry Christmas

Number 7

This morning I got up for a conference call and left Becky and Audrey sleeping while I did so. I took the call and then tried to get some scheduling done before they woke up. Becky had a sleepless night with Audrey and I wanted them to be able to get the rest in which they needed. At 9am I heard Audrey talking in her bed so I quietly went up stairs and rescued her and brought her back down to watch Max and Ruby. I gave her a sippy cup with some juice and threw a blanket over her and she snuggled under it ready to watch "Mimi". I thought that I needed to make her some breakfast so I started to prepare some oatmeal since it was a little chilly.

As I waited for the water to boil I started reading a paper that Becky had taken out of a magazine and posted on the fridge. The title is 10 Thoughts on Whole Living and it gives you some things to think about. When Becky put this up the other day I joked with her that it seemed odd that she was putting it up. We went through a couple of them that she liked, but to be honest I didn't read the 10 thoughts. I found my self reading them this cold quiet morning.

1. Allow yourself the chance to really savor the moment.

2. Optimism isn't just a shift in perspective. It's an act of bravery.

3. Only you can decide the path worth taking.

4. Don't wait for your mood to change; take action despite it.

5. Approach gift shopping as an opportunity to honor the people you really love.

6. Rather than search for a single miracle food, strive for a varied and delicious diet.

7. You can't grow without pushing your limits.

8. Stop worrying about getting sick; focus on your health instead.

9. Don't believe what you hear. Life is good.

10. No one knows what the future will bring. Put your energy into now.

When I reached number 7 I stopped and reread it. I started thinking about the last few months and where we are right now physically and spiritually. You can't grow without pushing your limits. Over the last few months we have gone through some tough experiences and Becky and I have discussed many different times why we are here and where we will be in the future. We figure out where we are going to be in a couple of weeks and start moving that way only to find out that there is something else we need to do or a different direction is in store. We are constantly striving to get out of this hole that we have dug for ourselves but the more we climb the farther away the end seems.

One constant thread running through these discussions are how blessed we are. We are not in the house that we wanted to be and although we have cut every bill we still have bills piling up. With this said we still feel so blessed and we can feel the hand of the lord in our lives. We don't have everything that we once had but we have so many things to be thankful for. The church, our families, each other just to name a few.

7 seems to have become our mantra over the past few months after losing a job, leaving our gorgeous house and moving somewhere we didn't ever want to be. You can't grow without pushing your limits has to be the single most important piece of advice we have gotten over the last few months. How can we know who we are and what we are capable of if we don't push ourselves to the limits and endure to the end.

We are going to get out of this hole and when we do we are going to look back and see the progress that we have made. That progress is going to be leaps and bounds, not only temporally but spiritually. We have been given this opportunity to grow and we will succeed in doing so.

The water started boiling and I finished the oatmeal right before Becky came down. We were able to have breakfast and watch Max and Ruby together. We all climbed under the blanket and sat snuggling on the couch not even thinking about any problems we might have. What a wonderful morning.

Gameday in Provo

This past weekend I made the trip to Provo to see BYU take on TCU in what I thought was going to be a great match up. In the end the game wasn't as good as I had hoped and BYU lost. Never the less the journey was exciting and I had a great time in Provo. My parents, Marc and I drove down Friday night to stay with Lyric and Scott. When we got there I received a call from a mission companion who had been camping out in the west parking lot of LES since Thursday. He said that we were going to have to be down there at 3am if we wanted to get into ESPN College Gameday. We decided that it would be in our best interest to drive to Provo from Murray that night and spend the night in the parking lot of Lavell Edwards Stadium so we could get in the gate the next morning. We prepared and made the trek to Provo for the night. We got there at midnight and found my mission companion and his tent. He said that they would start lining people up at about 4am to get wrist bands on so we could get in. We thought that the best idea was to go back and try to get some sleep in the van before that time. Marc and Scott slept in the captains chairs, I slept in the middle seat, and dad slept on an air mattress in the back of the van where we had taken out the back seat for more access. We didn't get much sleep that night with myself only getting an hour. At 3:30am we woke up and made our way back to the tent city and waited until 6am when they handed out wrist bands and put us in lines to get into Gameday. It was a blast and we were on TV a lot that morning. I think that the four of us were having a great time but for Scott and I this was a dream come true. We drove back to Murray to get some rest but instead Marc and Dad slept while Scott and I watched the broadcast of ESPN College Gameday. Because of this I only got an hour of sleep and Scott didn't sleep. We woke at 2:30pm and got ready to head back to Provo. The traffic was bad so ended up not getting parked until 4:30pm. We walked to the stadium and hung out for a little bit and decided that it would be better to go in and watch the team warm up. The game wasn't great but we all had a good time discussing the game with each other. It brought back great memories of when we use to have season tickets and when mom and dad came home with Aunt Millie and Uncle Rob, and Dad and Uncle Rob would watch the rebroadcast of the game and discuss it. I had so much fun and I have to thank Marc for making it possible. I wouldn't have been able to go if it hadn't been for Marc. So thanks Marc for making it possible and thanks mom and dad for letting me tag along. It was a once in a lifetime deal for me and I am so grateful that you all made it possible.

Thanks!

I'm Chill Like Dat.

Tonight we ended up at Wendy's on Eagle Road for dinner. We sat there having our $4.00 meal and just talking about where we are at and where we want to be. After a little while a friend from our old ward showed up. We talked to her and her family for a few minutes about what had happened and how we are now in Nampa instead of Weiser. She was sad that we had to move out of the ward but was glad that we ended up somewhere that we thought we should be. As we left I got to thinking that I am not in the place that I want my family to be right now, but I am not upset that we are in this place either. We have to do what we have to do and the lord has something for us. I realized that I am just "chill" where we are at. I am OK with everything and we can just be cool here for awhile.

An Excerpt From My Journal

It has been a tough summer and I have not felt like blogging due to all the problems. The other night I thought that this day in my journal might be best shared with the readers of my blog.

9/2/09

May 13th 2009 I lost my job at The Idaho Statesman. Since that time Becky and I have felt like we were in a car without any brakes. It took a month to find a job, then that job wasn't paying me. I took a job in Wieser Idaho and then found out it wasn't what they had told me it would be. The first job offered more money so we are back working for www.boise.biz but we have had to make sacrifices to do so. We moved to Nampa, which I hate, we are back in an apartment. The air conditioning isn't working, the phone line in the apartment hasn't been installed so no internet or land line. We have a swamp in the front yard. NO MONEY! Car needs new tires, oil change, 100,000 mile service and since yesterday a new headlight. Our registration is due and to top it off our property manager is on vacation. The thing that makes me not want to rip my hair out... I know the lord needs us here. With all this happening I still have a beautiful wife and wonderful daughter who seem to make things better. No matter how bad things get I still have a home cooked meal and Audrey running around screaming "I WUV you"! Things couldn't get much better then this, I am truly blessed and I know the lord is looking after me and my family.

Things have gotten a little better since then as well. This Sunday I will be sustained as the 1st counselor in the young men's presidency. I am really excited about this calling yet a little nervous with the responsibility. I do know that the lord is aware of me personally and I am so grateful for His love and direction in my life.

A Tornado

Over the last three months the Vipperman house hold has been very hectic. I lost my job, found a job, that job wasn't making us any money, found a new job, traveled an hour and a half one way to said job, decided that we were going to move to the location of that job. The first job came back and offered more money and we wouldn't have to move, we had already given our 30 day notice in the house we were in and it had rented. We kind of freaked out and now things have just fallen into place. We feel very blessed to be in this position and we know that the lord has something in store for us.

It looks like that we may be moving to Weiser. We don't know if this is a good thing yet or not. We have put a lot of thought and prayer into this decision and it just keeps getting closer. The Weiser Signal American is the local newspaper in Weiser and they are looking for an Advertising Sales Executive to sell ads for their paper. A couple of weeks ago Becky, Audrey and I drove up to Weiser to check things out and get introduced to the publisher. We had a nice time and met some really cool people. While we were talking to the publisher it was discovered that my Aunt and Uncle were the Grand Marshall's of the Fiddle Festival this year and that the publisher was really good friends with my cousin Cindy. It doesn't seem to matter where I go, someone always knows my family. Also while we were there the publisher asked how my writing skills were, I told her I didn't think they were very good. She said that they needed a sports writer and that I would have to take over those duties as well. I am not sure about the writing but I guess I will figure it out. The problem here is that we are unsure if we are supposed to be in Weiser. Only time will tell and I am sure that we will find out sooner rather than later.

Hockey Fight

Hockey fights are a strategic part of the game. The first hockey game that Becky and I went to a fight broke out and we were hooked. Since that time we have found out that fighting can change the momentum of the game. The way it works is that every team has an enforcer. The enforcer is the guy that they send out to start fights because they can't have their star players getting put in the penalty box. An enforcer will go out and try to get the other teams star into a fight so that he will have to sit in the penalty box. Usually what happens though is that the two enforcers end up fighting and they both have to go to the box to think about what they have done.

Now fighting isn't really fighting unless they drop the gloves. In hockey you can throw punches with your gloves on and it is considered roughing and it is a 2 minute minor penalty that a ref may not call. The minute that the gloves come off it is fighting and it is a 5 minute major penalty.
There is a lot of crazy things in hockey that we have found out and we are always learning. Fighting is a major part and it gets the crowd in the game and pumped up. I love to listen to the announcers because they treat it like a boxing match, the talk about the height and weight of the players and announce right and left punches. With that said this clip is just fighting, no reason then the players were just mad at each other.

Fleury's Final Save

Here is the video of Marc Andre Fleury's Save from game seven that clinched the win for the penguins. He makes a great diving save right at the end to close out the game. I was nervous that he wasn't going to get over in time but he did a great job.

The Penguins Win!

I have been so excited watching the NHL playoffs this year. A bunch of the series went to 7 games and there was just some great hockey being played. When Becky and I started getting into hockey we watched a few NHL games and I really started to like the Pittsburgh Penguins. I have watched them the last few years. I am so stoked that they won the Stanley Cup this year and did it in an amazing game 7 at the Joe in Detroit. Detroit had gone 11-0 at home during the playoffs and I was nervous that the Pens would not be up to the task. Fleury was amazing and made every stop that he had to including a small break away from Hossa that he stopped. Malkin and Crosby did well but they had guys on them all the time so you knew that in order to win someone would have to step up. That guy was Maxime Talbot, he rocked two goals in game seven to lift Pittsburgh over Detroit. I wanted to post a video of the last two saves from Fleury but I can't find one. So I hope that you get a chance to see them, Fleury made an incredible diving save to end the game and I am still in awe over it.

My beard is better than your beard.

What do you think of the new hairier me?
It's Hockey Playoff time - and that means it's time to grow a playoff beard. Yep, it's the first annual Beard-a-thon so I'm "Growing One For The Team," and raising money for charities across the country.

To see what you look like with a big, furry, play-off beard, visit Build-a-Beard.
To join the cause, or grow one of your own for the team,visit Beard-a-thon.
Let's get hairy!

Go Penguins!

Becky doesn't allow pictures of herself so I had to go all the way back to November to find a picture of her to use in my post today.

Today is Mothers Day and I am so grateful to have Becky has the mother of Audrey. She is such a great mother to both of us (if you know me you know that Becky has to do a little mothering of me as well). I am grateful that I was able to marry my best friend and that we are still best friends. She is a wonderful mother and wife and Audrey and I are lucky to have her. From making tie-dye cakes to waking up 6 times a night with a sick baby, she does it all and we appreciate all that she does for us. We love you Beck.

To my mother, I am grateful for what you have taught me and raised me. I am a better person for having you has my mother. Case in point is the way that I treat my wife and daughter. Without you I would not know how to be a good husband and father. I appreciate all that you do for me and my family and we are so glad that we get to see you when we do. I love spending time with you and enjoy the times that we talk on the phone. You are awesome mom and thanks for being my Mother. I love you.

Mosaic

Rules-
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
b. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3 (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).
d. Save the image and post it on this note.
e. If you're tagged, pass it on.

The Questions-
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite color?
3. What is your favorite food?
4. Favorite drink?
5. Dream vacation?
6. Favorite hobby?
7. What you want to be when you grow up?
8. What do you love most in life?
9. One word to describe you?

Rob and Ashley.

A week ago Robert and Ashley were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Becky and I were there to witness this great moment in there lives. To some this is just an ordinary wedding and you are happy for them in the normal way. As for Becky and I this ran a bit deeper and we found ourselves asking each other in the temple if it was just us.

Rob and I have always been good friends and great cousins. We love hanging out and because of that, we spend a lot of weekends together in Idaho and Utah. Rob went with Becky and I on our first date and spent some time with us before he left on his mission. Becky and I couldn't wait two more weeks for Rob before we got married so he was not able to be to our wedding but he did show up in Boise a few weeks later and hung out for a few days. Rob and I are close and if you spend any time at all with the both us you can probably tell that it is too close.

Because of this close relationship we have spent multiple nights and weekends together discussing whatever is going on, Becky included. Becky has also become close to Robert and as we were going through our infertility problems Rob was going through his problems with finding a wife. We spent countless nights discussing our problems and comparing the two. We felt that we were in the same boat and Becky and I felt that Rob was one of the few people who really understood what we were going through. Likewise he thought that we understood what he was going through as well. This helped to make us that much closer.

A couple years ago we planned a trip to the Oregon Coast together and drove out to spend 4 days in a Yurt in Newport Oregon. We spent a lot of time discussing where we were emotionally with our respected trials. It was hard for all of us but we were helping each other cope. On the ride home Becky and I received the call that we would be getting Audrey. Rob was so excited for us but I think that he felt that we had kind of abandoned him with his trial.

A few months later Becky and I were in Utah and we went on Rob and Ashley's first real date. As with other dates Rob and I looked like we were on our own date, but Ashley stuck with it. She is lucky that she was not the one we took to Los Hermanos in Provo. I am sure that girl never wants to see us again. As Rob and Ashley got closer we wondered if Rob was going to finally get what he was hoping for.

Rob called me in January and told me that he was bringing Ashley to Boise to propose to her and he wanted us to be there. We were so happy for them and agreed to do whatever we need to. We had a great time while they were here and were so honored to be asked to be apart of this special moment. Rob seemed so happy and Ashley was shocked that it was happening.

Now only a few months later they are married and we couldn't be happier for them. Rob deserves this and Ashley has a great guy. What a great thing for the both of them. Becky and I returned home last Saturday and while we drove we discussed our feelings. Rob means so much to us, so it is just so awesome that he has been able to find such happiness after going so long without finding someone. Rob and Ashley we want you to know that you are always welcome at our house. We love you guys and think that you are great for each other. We can't wait to hang out as married couples and discuss just how close our paths run. We will continue the trips with just our families so that our kids can be just as close as Rob and I are (Ashley and Becky might not like that idea). Thanks for all you do for us and thanks for including us in this special time in your lives. You both are awesome.

New Baseball Promotion

Two summers ago The Idaho Statesman did a big contest where the winners would get to fly to Seattle and watch a Mariners game from the suite of one of McClatchy's other papers. Landon, Matt and I won the contest along with some others. We had a blast up there and have been talking about trying to get the Statesman to do it again, yesterday our dreams became reality. Well at least for Matt and I. This promotion is only for the new business reps so Landon will not be able to go. Matt and I, along with the other two new business reps have to hit a certain number to go and I really think that we have a shot. It is over a 90 day period and starts May 1st, so by July 31st we will know if we have done it or not. I am super excited and can't wait to get started. Sporting events to motivate everyone but they do motivate me so I am going to get out there and hit it hard so I can be in Seattle in August.

I'm Celebrating Today!

My Hockey Team is NOT as Good as Your Hockey Team!

So the Steelheads were swept by the Victoria Salmon Kings with a 2-1 OT loss last night. Becky and I were crowded around the computer listening to the action all night. We were hopeful going into the third period 1-0 Steelheads but Victoria tied it mid-way through the third and sent it to over time and with eight minutes left the Steelheads goalie, Climie, made a great save but couldn't handle the wrap around rebound. It was devastating and we have been talking about it all day. It really comes down to one stat, 1 for 18 on the power play. The Steelheads just couldn't convert on the man advantage and in the end that is what killed them and their playoff chances. Becky and I are so bummed that the ECHL hockey season is over and I am sure that Audrey is to because all she has been saying the last week or so is "Gockey". We are disappointed but since we are true fans we will stick behind the Steeheads and be there for opening day in October. GO STEELIES!

Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Easy Star All-Stars have done it again! I first heard about these guys when they put out Dub Side of the Moon which was a Pink Floyd Reggae Dub cover CD. It was amazing and since that time I have been buying anything that they put out. This CD is a cover of the Beatles, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and I love it. I can't get enough of it. You should totally buy it if you are a reggae fan and it is a must have if you are an Easy Star All-Star fan. These guys rock and I can't wait until they come even close to Idaho because I will be going to that show I guarantee.

2009 Grateful Dead Tour

The Grateful Dead are going on tour this summer and I am totally stoked. I am trying to get Becky to let us go. They are playing in Mountain View California on May 10th and 14th and I am trying to talk Becky into going to her Aunt Rebecca's in San Francisco for a couple days and going to the show. I do realize that Jerry isn't there, for those of you who keep telling me that it isn't the same but I didn't have the opportunity to go while he was alive. For me the experience of seeing the Grateful Dead in concert would be amazing in its own right without Jerry. I am not sure that I could handle it with him.
Tour Info
4/12
NC
GreensboroGreensboro Coliseum
Ticketmaster

4/14
DC
WashingtonVerizon Center
Ticketmaster

4/15
VA
CharlottesvilleJohn Paul Jones Arena
Music Today

4/17
NY
AlbanyTimes Union Center
Tickets.com

4/18
MA
WorcesterDCU Center
Ticketmaster

4/19
MA
WorcesterDCU Center
Ticketmaster

4/21
NY
BuffaloHSBC Arena
Tickets.com

4/22
PA
Wilkes-BarreWachovia Arena @ Casey Plaza
Ticketmaster

4/24
NY
UniondaleNassau Coliseum
Ticketmaster

4/25
NY
New YorkMadison Square Garden
Ticketmaster

4/26
CT
HartfordXL Center
Ticketmaster

4/28
NJ
E. RutherfordIZOD Center
Ticketmaster

4/29
NJ
E. RutherfordIZOD Center
Ticketmaster

5/1
PA
PhiladelphiaWachovia Spectrum
New Era Tickets

5/2
PA
PhiladelphiaWachovia Spectrum
New Era Tickets

5/4
IL
ChicagoAll State Arena
Ticketmaster

5/5
IL
ChicagoAll State Arena
Ticketmaster

5/7
CO
DenverPepsi Center
Ticketmaster

5/9
LA
Los AngelesThe Forum
Ticketmaster

5/10
CA
Mountain ViewShoreline Amphitheatre
LiveNation

5/14
CA
Mountain ViewShoreline Amphitheatre
LiveNation

5/16
WA
QuincyThe Gorge
LiveNation

July
MI
RothburyRothbury Festival
Click Here

My job is better than your job!

For those of you who are wondering how my new job is going, I thought that I could just take a minute and tell you. It is awesome! I have had some transition with my old territory and the new rep but I think that things are going smoothly there. The new job consists of hitting the streets around 9am and knocking doors until 4pm. Now to some of you this may sound a little daunting but to me it is great to get out and meet new people and find out what the paper can do for them. This is the end of week two in this new position and I am really having a lot of fun with it. My buddy Matt and I are both new business reps and we have gone on a few "four legged" calls and I would have to say that they have been our most productive calls that we have made. So far everyone has been receptive to the idea and we haven't been kicked out of a business yet. I do believe that sales is my true calling and in this type of environment (new business) I do really well. So far in last two weeks I have signed three new businesses up to advertise with the Statesman and have gone on 75 new business calls. This new job is rockin and I am having a blast. Now if someone could only save this post for me so a year from now when I hate it I can re-read it.

Hockey Playoffs are here!

This weekend the ECHL playoffs start and I am so stoked for them. Right now the Idaho Steelheads are the second seed and seem to be streaking at the right time. I am not going to say that it feels like the 06-07 season but I can feel something. The Steelheads start the playoffs with home ice playing the Victoria Salmon Kings. This is going to be a great series and I am really excited to get it started.

Last weekend we went to a game on Friday night against the Phoenix Road Runners and there happened to be a fight which is not unusual with these two teams.

The fight got finished and the refs put the two players in the penalty boxes. A fan threw some beer on the player from Phoenix which didn't make him to happy and he tried to come over the glass. We have never seen this before but it was pretty cool. They kicked the player out of the game and escorted the fan out of the stadium.

Pictures courtesy of http://www.steveconnerphotography.com/

Book Club On!

OK, it is getting to be time to start this thing. I am super psyched to get going and think that this is going to be a lot of fun. I know that we have a week or so before we can start but we should start thinking of books that we would like to start with. My pick is Fahrenheit 451 because it is something that most of us have read and a short one so for those of us who are busy we can get through it quickly and be able to participate in any discussion. Let me know what you all think though. Give us what you want to start with and why and in a week we can decide what we want to do.

My Birkenstocks and a dad and his daughter at the hockey game.

After a couple of weeks of working with a local business here in town my Birkenstocks are here. I got them on Wednesday and they haven't come off my feet yet. The owner of the store told me that when he went to the shoe expo in Las Vegas this year that Birkenstock had four or five executives there and they were all dressed in suits with Birkenstocks. How cool is that? So I have been wearing mine to work with my slacks and they don't look to bad. I love them because they are so comfortable and of course they don't have backs. It's like sticking it to the man without the man caring. I am sure that you all get the idea.

Also on Wednesday we all went to the hockey game. Audrey is getting better about not getting scared with the loud music and people cheering. There wasn't anybody else there so we had the entire suite to ourselves. We had such a great time and I also got to explain some hockey strategy with Audrey as you can see.

New Business Rep

So it is official, I am a New Business Rep for The Idaho Statesman. With this comes a pay increase and no territory. I am free to roam wherever I want to go to find business. This is such an exciting thing and I am totally stoked to be here with this new opportunity. Basically I go out every month with no business and try to get people to advertise. As they come on I keep them two months and then pass them to the territory reps. The Idaho Statesman has put a lot of faith in the four new biz reps since this is a new position and they are paying us, hoping that we will be able to bring business in. The four of us are really excited and up to the challenge so I know this will be good. I think that things are only going to get better and I am so excited for this new opportunity.

I want to go to there!

I am jonesing for Oregon really bad right now. Serious maybe we should have an intervention because I am addicted. I miss the beach, the smell, the fog, and the sweater weather. I am hoping that things with my job pick up and we are able to return as soon as possible. Otherwise we may have to take some drastic measures like steal mom and dads RV and head to the coast for a cheap trip. Watch out mom and dad, I can be sneaky.

Coming Soon

Last Thursday we had a meeting at The Statesman that informed the sales staff that there would be changes coming the following week. This Thursday should be a good day for me and my sales buddies as we find out what new positions we are going into and a new commission plan. I don't know any details but I have heard that this commission plan is going to be very lucrative so I am really stoked to find out what is going on. I will let you all know as soon as I do. Thanks for sticking around.

Extra Extra, read all about it!

So things are not looking so good at the newspaper these days. Unlike days of old when the newspaper was one of the few ways to get your news, there are many ways today. Right now at The Idaho Statesman we are going through a few cut backs and lay-offs. It is feeling like a wake and it stinks to go to work. Most days you show up and everyone is talking in hushed tones and rumors. There are closed door management meetings everyday and they won't tell you what is going on. Everything is a well known secret and it is starting to drive me crazy. Everyone knows that something is going on but no one will tell you. I really feel that the management should be upfront with us and just let us know what is going on rather then keeping it a big secret. These secrets are are more damaging then if the big wigs were to just tell you the truth. Also there is going to be some restructuring, I feel that there should be some employees in these meetings so that the management can get a true idea of what is going on in the real world instead of there false idea that everyone is doing fine. I get tired of hearing about sweet restaurants that our management get to go to while I am eating at home to save money. One of my managers was telling me about this place I should try the other day. He said that it wasn't priced to bad at $15.00 a plate. Jeez I can't eat off a regular menu at McDonald's right now let alone pay $15.00 per plate. I can't wait until this whole thing is over. I know that some people are going to lose their jobs and that is not cool but it will be better then sitting around the office with everyone mad all the time.

Life is AWESOME!

Things are awesome today.

• Its Friday
• Car Show
• My Birkenstocks are coming in
• Party at the office
• Our taxes hit our bank
• I Sold Stuff

Today is going to be great and I hope that means we have an awesome weekend coming up.

Have a good weekend

My book club is better then your book club!

We have had a lot of discussion on what everyone is reading and it has gotten me thinking. Why don't we start a family book club that we track over our blogs or even set up another blog that is only for this book club? I think that it would be really cool but I want to know if there is anybody out there who would like to do something like this. Just leave me a comment and let me know if your would be interested in doing something like that and I will get it going. I already have several books that I think would be good to start with that we could all work on and discuss. Let me know what you think when you get a chance.

My birthday was better then your birthday.

This weekend was by far the best birthday ever. I had a great time hanging out with Becky and Audrey as we celebrated my 29th birthday. I got up on Saturday morning to balloons and gifts, we had oatmeal for breakfast. We hung out and watched the BYU baseball game and then went to the Hockey game. This weekend was amazing and I love that my wife knows what to do to make me happy. She is so awesome and I love her and Audrey so much. Thanks Becky and Audrey for a well played birthday.

The Road

(Picture from http://www.yooglimusic.com/)

I have had a few people ask me why I liked The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I appreciated Aunt Millie's post and left a comment but it became too long and I finally scrapped the idea and thought that I would post a response here. I really liked The Road for a couple of reasons. I think that it was wonderfully written, to the point that you felt you were in this bleak landscape with this father and son. At times I found myself checking my surroundings to make sure that I was still in the comfort of my home. Cormac McCarthy does a great job of getting the reader into the story and a part of the book, and I love books like that. The second thing was that all though the book was full of despair there was a theme of love between the father and son. That theme was a beautiful depiction of a fathers love for his son. I don't know if it is because I am a father now, but that depiction really hit me. The father was willing to do anything for his son just to keep him safe. What a great book and I would be willing to recommend it to anyone.

Drage Cameron

Seriously this is going to be the last time today. I have just felt all day that I should say something about the birth of Marc's boy (not that it isn't yours as well Ashely, I am not leaving you out just this is Marc's post) over the weekend. I have pondered the birth of Drage over the last few days and I think that this is the best thing for Marc at this time in his life. Marc has worked so hard to be here today and if there is one thing that he has wanted above anything else it is a child. To watch him with Orlando you knew that is what Marc wanted to be and that he was going to be good at it. This time is different as Drage is Marc's own child, he will look like Marc, he will talk like Marc, and he will act like Marc (lets hope that he takes after Ashely in this department). The best thing about it is that Marc and Ashley have the opportunity to shape their sons ideas about the world the way that they want. They get to decide together how they want to parent and no one gets to tell them otherwise.

Lastly I want to tell Marc how proud I am of him. I always thought that it would be hard to be the father of someone elses child but he treated Orlando like he was his own and in the long run it has paid off. He now has his own son to teach things to. He has his own son to wrestle with, to play catch with, and tick Ashley off with. Marc, you have someone that will love you unconditionally regardless if you make millions or nothing. You have a wonderful little boy that is going to be just like you. One that looks like and acts like you. If this were a toast, which it isn't for those of you who thought it was, this is where I would raise my glass. I hope that you can treat your son with the love, compassion and respect that you showed to Orlando. I know that you will. I love you guys and I hope the best for your family.

My daughter dances better than your daughter

This weekend Audrey, Becky and I watched a Wyclef Jean concert that I had TiVoed. I love Wyclef, he is such an amazing musician. What we found out this weekend was that Audrey also loves Wyclef. She danced and danced all weekend, at one point she started crying when we turned it off so she could go to bed. She also wanted to turn Wyclef back on when we started watching Dave Matthews Band at Rothbury which ticked her mom off since that is Becky's favorite band. Really all I care about is that she likes good music and is getting a huge spectrum of music to broaden her horizons musically. I love my little girl.

Coloring at church

A couple of weeks ago we received newsletters at church. On the back page there was a maze that we could color. Audrey and I spent all of sacrament meeting coloring our maze pictures. I have posted both of our mazes below so you could compare and contrast.

Audrey's Maze

Dads Maze

I miss Oregon.

I am really missing Oregon right now. Becky and I have talked about going but we don't have the money right now to go. So we sit here and reminisce about our last trip out to the coast. It is funny that we only talk about that time because we have actually been out there three times in the past two years. I think it is because we had Audrey with us and we had so much fun just being a family out there. Here are some pictures so that you all can feel the same way we are feeling right now.

Audrey and I at Agate Beach

Audrey and I at Agate Beach

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Georgie's has the best seafood in Newport

AAAAhhh, the Ocean

Sea Lion Caves

Haceta Head Lighthouse

Newport Aquarium

Audrey and I watching the seals

The ocean from our condo

The plane ride to Oregon, Audrey's first

My ladies on the beach

What a great picture of the beach

The Vip's at the aquarium

Scenic drive through the central coast

We had a great time