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Kim wanted to have family pictures done for her birthday.

We’re not entirely thrilled with the pictures, but it will be a nice memory in the future. More pictures here:

The pictures here are scans of the originals, so the quality is not great.

Stop reading now unless you want to know about the experience…

We had them done at Portrait Innovations at the Centerra shopping center. I hate big shopping centers, and I hate the assembly-line, herding operations like the studio was. But it certainly wasn’t all bad.

They claim to have ‘re-invented the studio experience’. I admit it ran pretty smoothly overall. We took the photos, all digital, so we could immediately review them on the large flat-panel displays right there in the studio. The photographer did a pretty good job of getting everyone, including Mark, to look at the camera and smile — no small task. After we selected the poses and package we wanted, it was just 1/2 hour to pick up the finished prints.

So, it was fast and streamlined, but very impersonal. The studio was crowded and ‘hopping’, and it wasn’t even at a peak time — I can’t imagine doing it earlier in December with the Christmas card rush. We certainly didn’t have a chance to look at some of the initial pictures and make adjustments — we ended up not using the whole first set in our solid-colored shirts because the background didn’t work and poses were off. There was definitely pressure to keep things moving along. To be fair, we had our own pressure to finish before Mark gave out, and we didn’t quite make it.

We’d really like to do a more laid-back session with a photographer who was a bit more interested in us personally, ideally a friend or family member — when are you going to come to Fort Collins, Lindsay? Plus, we have a strong preference for outdoor settings.

But, we did it, and we’re have some decent photos to capture this moment in our family history.

From a commencement address by Elder Ballard at BYU-Hawaii:

“We cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches,” he said.

“While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time.”

 

That struck me as rather interesting, especially that he specifically encouraged the use of blogs and other “new media.” I know I need to open my mouth more in sharing what’s important to me — I find it way too easy to sit back and let others do the talking. I will make an effort to share more, including through this blog. If nothing else, writing my thoughts down helps me to crystallize what it is I do believe.

Here’s something I’d love to build:

It’s an RC car modified with a kit to replace the battery power cells with a compact hydrogen fuel cell system. It’s a bit expensive, unfortunately — the whole system would probably be ~$2,000. But it would be educational, right?

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1241118288

Merry Christmas!

This is just a test of the WPVideo plugin I just enabled:

How it works: the two Tesla coils have a primary frequency around 40kHz+ — outside the audible range for humans. The signal can be turned on and off at, say, 440 times per second (440Hz = A) to produce an audible tone. So it’s like radio waves being modulated to carry a signal, but it’s actually lightning

My birthday was last week. Happy birthday to me. I’ve been recovering from a bad ankle sprain the last few weeks. Playing ultimate is one of my favorite things, so it’s pretty frustrating when I can’t.

We also celebrated Mark’s 1st birtday a few weeks ago. Mark and my other boys definitely rank very high on my list of favorites.

Halloween was fun for the boys, but I think the most fun was harvesting the pumpkins from our garden, then carving them together. The fall weather has been awesome, and we’ve enjoyed lots of outdoor activities, including some corn mazes.

At the corn maze, we saw a large trebuchet for launching pumpkins. We were all impressed by that. It was the inspiration for Trent’s simple machine project — we chose to launch jumbo marshmallows, and he had a lot of fun demoing it at school.

More pictures from recent weeks, including Halloween and other fall fun:

October already… general conference was this weekend, very uplifting as usual. I even managed to watch most all of it — we have the rest recorded for later. Something to do while I fold laundry tomorrow night. But more on conference later. First, the most important part — pictures here:

A quick recap on September and into October:

• Alec ended up having his two front teeth removed after his bicycle accident. Just means he’ll be toothless for a few years.
• The boys started school — 4th, 2nd, and preschool.
• Soccer season started as well. Three games every Saturday. It’s tough to have both of us there at all of them, but I know the boys appreciate it when we do. It’s Alec’s first season, and he rocks Trent is now at the level with goalies. He loves defense and forward. He’s been nick-named ‘The Wall’. Caleb’s now playing on the intermediate league, and it’s fun to see how they are really starting to play soccer!
• Mark is walking a few steps now. He loves the dog, the dog puts up with him really well.

This week, we took a little trip to Rocky Mountain National Park to see the Elk rut. It was a beautiful day in the mountains, and it was cool to see (and hear) the big bulls bugling to gather their harems together. In one part of the valley (Moraine Park), the cows were grazing up within 10 feet of the cars and people. It was a fun experience.

I spent Friday / Saturday digging a trench for conduit to put in an electrical line out to our shed. The older boys ‘helped’ a bit too — mostly they enjoyed playing in the dirt and throwing dirt clods. I was hurrying to get it dug and put in the conduit before the forecasted storm moved in Saturday night, but that never materialized.

Laying the electrical lines is the first step in a bunch of work we have planned for the back yard. It’s slow going, though, as it often has to take back seat to other priorities. But we are anxious to be able to enjoy our yard more.

I really enjoyed watching / listening to conference. I just want to write a few of the thoughts that were memorable to me:

• The calling of President Eyring to the First Presidency, and Elder Cook to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
• Elder Ballard’s message about being prepared to share the gospel — know what we want to say, answer the question being asked. Few people will have the time or patience to listen to an hour discourse on the church. We can be more effective with a few specific points.
• President Eyring’s counsel to pray for others instead of ourselves. Forget our own concerns and shortcomings. True power in prayer and in priesthood service comes from focusing on the needs of others, seeking to understand their needs and find ways to serve them.
• President Monson’s anecdote about the boy with ‘flaming red hair’ — followed by President Hinckley’s challenge to him to dye his own hair!
• Elder Oak’s talk on good, better, best. It really is easy to merely be a good person, so much more to seek and exemplify the best in all we do.
• President Hinckley: Singers can sing the same song over and over again, orchestras repeat the same works, but a speaker is expected to give a new message each time… I enjoy his wit, as well as his words of testimony and counsel.

Hey mom — look familiar?

Alec has only been riding a bicycle for a few weeks. Saturday he was following his brothers to the park, and got out of control going down a hill. I was a bit older when I did the same thing (was that the first or the second time?) There’s still some concern that he may have a more serious injury with his arm — that after a broken hand last fall and a broken arm last spring. And just in time for school…

Yes, Caleb, Trent, and Alec will finally be starting back to school this week. Soccer practices started two weeks ago, so we’re getting back into the full swing. Kim and crew went to help out with Caleb’s and Trent’s teachers to get their classrooms ready. Caleb has his first male teacher this year, which is exciting for him.

Congrats to my parents on reaching 38 years.  Sure, I understand more all the time that they are not perfect, but I certainly respect them for what they have done together.  Almost 12 years already for me and Kim — I think we’ve done lots of good stuff together so far together, too

To conclude, I’ll pass along a thought from Bishop Foster this morning, taken from 2 Timothy 2:2 –

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

The point he shared is that in our ministering and administering, a big part of our duty is to “teach others also” and “commit … to faithful men” that they may also be engaged.  Many things are easier and most quickly done when we do them ourselves.  But we are expected to work with and through others, that we all benefit from the chance to serve and learn from each other.  I certainly see that as a stumbling block for me, in my personal and professional life, as well as serving in the church.  As I’ve heard it said: we have to allow others to grow on our time.

I feel like I’ve been traveling the last month… it all started with a Slade family reunion here in Fort Collins the first week of July, followed by a Mills family reunion in Newport Beach, CA, then a trip to Portland for a conference, and finally a quick trip out to Intel’s site in Hudson, MA. I’ve had more than enough of airports and airplanes for a while.

For the Slade reunion, we played around in Ft Collins for a bit, but the highlight was camping in RMNP for a couple nights. All the time I’ve lived in Colorado, I’ve never been up there before, and it really is beautiful. The company was great, too! It was not an ideal for young-ens learning to crawl, with dirt, rocks, and more dirt everywhere you look — So Kim just made a cameo with Mark. She left early to make it out of the canyon and home before dark… but then a flat and a destroyed tire meant she wasn’t home until 11pm or so. But I’m grateful for her effort to be involved!

The Mills reunion was spent in a couple of beach houses right off the beach in Newport. It was a great location, I can understand why so many people are drawn there. But way too many people for me. For more crowded fun, we spent a day at Disneyland (I even managed to sprain my ankle). We also went to the Medieval Times show, which the boys enjoyed. Still not much there in all of that that works well for a crawling baby (babies + sand = not recommended). Again I’m grateful to Kim for her patience and desire to be involved.

While in Portland, a man stopped me on the street to ask for some money. He gave me his story about his truck being stolen (he’s a hardwood flooring contractor), along with his wallet, cellphone, etc. The police wouldn’t come out to help him since no injury was involved. He needed $30 to take the train/bus up to his custom house up in the hills. I ended up getting $40 out of the ATM for him, and we exchanged contact info so he could get it back to me. We talked for a couple minutes, and I asked him whether I could send him a copy of the Book of Mormon as a return favor — I wanted him to understand why I stopped to listen to his story and help him out, regardless of whether I believed his story or expect to ever receive it back:

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.

21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.

22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.

Mosiah 4:16-22

He said he would be willing to accept it and read it — he himself had lost his faith through the course of a divorce and other trials, but he said he believed people were brought together in such encounters for a reason. Still waiting to hear back from him though…

The trip to Hudson was short, with half of it spent in transit. My recommendation: avoid Southwest Airlines, at least for business travel. That was not a pleasant experience. I did get to see my sister Merrit for dinner and (part of) a movie. Another recommendation: avoid Transformers. Not worth the garbage.

So now I’m home with no travel plans any time soon. School is just a few weeks away for the boys. We hope to enjoy the remainder of the summer by doing as little as possible. But with all the boys and everything else, there’s always something…

I actually wrote this up last Sunday but never managed to get it posted because I hadn’t gotten the pictures up… they’re up now, so enjoy!

One last thing: check out my write-up / tutorial on using RSS feeds to stay on top of new blog posts…

Today’s Memorial Day, and we plan to do pretty much nothing… just resting and recovering from the last few weeks of frenzied activity. The boys finished up school, and we’re looking forward to a long summer vacation.

Our summer plans include lots of swimming (when Alec gets his cast off), camping, golfing, yard work, reading, violin practicing, and a trip to CA for a Mills family reunion. Should be fun. More pictures: