I’ve been thinking about this post for a while now, and not just because Jenna did the same thing for me on my birthday.  When you’re truly in love with a girl, you can’t help it; thinking about her is comparable to breathing.

So, happy birthday, Jenna.  Here’s my short list for you.  Even when you’re 100, the list will be far too brief.

1.  She is totally and completely kind, generous, and patient. (Ok, so that’s three.) An example?  How about her taking care of me?  Surgeries, ER visits, you name it.  Infinite capacity for kindness.

2.  She spends every lunch of hers at home.  Even if it’s for 20 minutes, she drives home to see the family.

3.   She is the best mommy in the world.  Every action of hers speaks love.

4.  She’s the only girl I have ever known who can get ready for a date in 15 minutes and look completely, unreasonably, and insanely drop-dead gorgeous.  I don’t mean to be superficial, but honestly…have you seen her?  She’s beautiful.

5.  She has opened herself up to everything that I’ve found to be beautiful in my life, and has made them 100 times sweeter.

6.  She has the most beautiful long, blonde hair.  And she hasn’t cut it!

7.  She never makes fun of the stupid things I do, like eat a package of Chips Ahoy in one sitting.  That must take restraint.

8.  She puts up with me.  Every man who has ever loved a woman should nod in agreement, because we’re very despicable creatures sometimes.

9.  She’s a geek like me.

10.  We like the same shows.  TV, movies, anything.  She even likes Star Trek.

11.  She loves my family.  She loves my mom and my dad, my brothers and sister, and everyone else.  She was excited to meet them, and is always excited to see them again.

12.  She’s the most accepting person I know.  She’ll take you into her heart and trust you as long as you let her.  She understands the miracle of forgiveness, and forgives regularly.

13.  Hard worker?  That’s her.  Earned her bachelors when she was 19.  Her masters was at 23.  Could have been earlier, but she met me and, eventually, Sumner.

14.  You should see the way she plays with Sumner.  That boy is so smart because his mom teaches him everyday.  She encourages him and loves him and makes him feel safe.

15.  She and SaraJane are two peas in a pod.  They are kindred spirits, and well suited for each other.  I love when Jenna comes home; watching my baby girl run to the door to get her mama is the best part of my day.  I have that to look forward to, and I am grateful.

16.  She’s a morning person.  What does that mean?  That means I get a happy girl to wake up to, every morning of my life.

17. She bought me a computer for Christmas, using her money that she earned from work.  She’s totally selfless.

18.  She lets me sleep in like 99% of the time, even when she’s tired.

19.  She still has friends from when she was a kid.  It’s fun to watch her get together with them.

20.  She’ll always make you smile.  When I’m sad, she can figure out a way to make me feel better.  She’s insightful like that.

21.  I know I give her a hard time about this, but she’s fun to teach Primary with.  She takes the edge off and makes the kids very comfortable with tough topics.  And while I’m on that subject…

22.  She’s amazing with kids.  Every kind of kid.  Kids that bite.  Kids that hit.  Kids that have no one to love, and no one to love them.  She’ll look at them and see the good in them and help them progress.  She’s infinitely patient with them.

23.  She was born to be an Occupational Therapist.  It’s one of her callings in life.  I love her for this reason because it takes a special girl to figure out such a great calling so very young in life.

24.  And because of her selfless attitude in working so hard for our family, it allows me to continue my journey in life to find out who I really am.  Currently, it has brought me to a retail job in a mall, which I love.  And I’m figuring out a lot about myself because of it.  But it would not be possible without her sacrifice and ability to take care of our family with her job.  I love, love, love her for this.

25.  She is my wife, and she chose me.  I chose her.  We’re better together.

I tried to be sneaky and post a few extra reasons in there.  25 just isn’t enough.  I know I’ll post this tonight and think of 10,000 more within a few hours.  But she knows I love her.

Happy birthday again, sweetie.

Ooh, writer’s block. My mind has been empty this entire week.  I know the solution is always “start writing”, but I feel I have nothing to say.  A house full of sick kids and adults has left me worn out.  Myself?  I’m ok.  But usually, I’m a night owl.  Lately I can’t stay up much past 9:00.

We saw Star Trek last Friday.  If it weren’t for that brief diversion, I’d be much grumpier right now.  I love a night at the cinema.  It helped tremendously that the movie was good, too.  I’d never been disappointed by the previous Trek movies, but I’d rarely been particularly impressed, either.  A few of them wowed me, First Contact being the one that pops into my mind first.

It doesn’t matter.  I’m enamored with the idealistic future of Star Trek.  Not the technology, though that’s all well and good.  Who wouldn’t love the idea of forgoing the 13 hour drive to Utah for a little transporter action?  That’s a story for a different day, I think.

No, the future I speak of is how those from Earth ended up as a human race.  An entire people brought together not entirely because of the threat of annihilation, but because of the cause of discovery and exploration.  Contact outside of the inky blackness of space caused us to wake from our apathetic and self-absorbed nature.  It’s cliche, but those in the Trek future found out that they were not alone, and that was the reason to reach for something better.

The wife was shocked, and still a little unbelieving, to hear my confession that Star Trek, not Star Wars, is my favorite set of Sci-Fi flicks.  I tried to explain why; Star Wars is fun and vast, but it holds no ties to mother Earth.  It’s very separate and  it allows for a great diversion, but it doesn’t make me think (and hope) like Trek does.

I don’t learn heavily toward the majority of my religious culture. Being Mormon, we are taught to hope toward the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which I truly believe in and look forward to.  I have a feeling, however; that some of my faith look to every current event as a sign of doom and destruction, and I’ve never found that a deeply satisfying outlook on life.

Some may argue that it is a sign of weak faith on my part, or a misplaced love of this world that makes me believe that the human race shouldn’t be on a one-way collision course with doom.  Call me crazy for wanting to believe that we should pull ourselves out of any tailspin that we find ourselves in.  Call me naive because I believe that a common cause, such as discovering the space beyond our own, could firmly and finally bring us together.  You can call me those things, only because I’m pulled both ways and have been taught that this cannot not be our final ordination.

Thought about a different way, I know that the final cleansing of Earth does not mark the end of human existence.  I know that, as immortal beings, we will continue to learn and grow and have the vast treasures of the universe unlocked and unfolded before our very eyes.  This brings me great joy to think about, more-so than the vain hope that alone we humans may finally figure out how to be civil to one another.

I do look up at the night sky every now and again, and I do see God working.  I know this is his creation, and I believe in the scientific nature and order of it.  I wish I had a telescope that could show me the heavens as they are now; it baffles my mind that the light I see in the sky predates my own existence my millions of years.

I have no idea how a story about a night out to the movies turned into a religious and philosophical meditative drama, but there we have it.  That’s why I like Star Trek more than Star Wars.  It makes me think.  I don’t like taking things for granted.

And look at that. I started writing, and the words finally came.  They may not have made sense to you, but I had a great time putting them on the screen.

I don’t believe that I’m a particularly accident-prone guy.  But I have to finally cede the fact that I have been to the hospital a fair share more times than the average 30 year old.  I found my way back to the ER this past Tuesday, when it felt like I snapped my foot off at the ankle during a night of basketball.  An unfortunate drive to the hoop and an awkward landing on someone’s foot was all I needed to ruin my evening (and more).

Thank goodness it was only a sprain.  Everyone who witnessed it was certain of a break, and I had little reason to dispute their observations.  I have never felt such intense pain in my life.  It was almost enough to make me give up the game.  Almost.  Not quite enough, though.  

The good news is that it’s only been a week since the injury and I’m walking again.  Very little limping going on, except in the morning.  The wife says I look like the Tin Man, with my unsightly shuffle-step.

I felt bad that I injured myself only a day before we left for Utah.  We tried to make the most of it, keeping our plans intact for the majority of the time.  I could do very little to help out; injuring the right foot meant that I couldn’t even drive.  The best I could do was hold SaraJane when I was being carted around in a wheelchair.  

We saw plenty of family and a few friends.  There never seems to be enough time to see everyone.  I’m sure that if we ran around enough, we could have.  But then we’d have needed the “vacation from the vacation” that you hear about so often.

A minor note about the drive home; it seems that a bit more faith in Google Maps might be in order.  About 100 miles or so  before we reached the normal turnoff to the 20, we decided to try driving through Las Vegas.  I had never done it before, but had heard good things about it.  Every so often, I would double-check my route on the trusty iPhone, wanting to be sure that I had everything in order.

Each time, Google Maps tried to get me to get myself back to highway 89.  Even when I had passed Cedar City, it again tried to get me to rethink my strategy and pull back for the normal route.  My wife and I thought the program had gone bananas, and thusly ignored its suggestions.

I should have taken the hint when I finally passed through Las Vegas, and the iPhone informed me that I should hug the Arizona-California border and head home that way.  Seemed like an awful waste of time to me.  Oh, how wrong we were.  Never again will I pass that route.  Driving to Mesa from the 93/60 is the worst route imaginable.   

Finally, a happy birthday to my newest nephew, Parker Bowden.  Parker was born today, weighing in at 6 lb. 13 oz.  Welcome to the world, little buddy.  You’ve got yourself quite the family to enjoy the journey with.  

We’re in full preparation mode now, it seems.  Spent a good portion of the morning cleaning out the van, and was surprised to find that it wasn’t that bad.  Just one bag of trash, and it was a small one.  Most of the time, we extract at least a full trash bag worth of goodies from the nooks and crannies hidden away. When you have a five year old, you just can’t seem to live a clean life.

Much still left to be done, I’m afraid.  There’s laundry, packing, shopping, and cleaning.  I have to have a clean house house before we leave.  There’s no worse feeling than coming home to a dirty house, right?.  No wait, there is a worse feeling; knowing you’re coming home to a dirty house, and you still have eight hours left of the drive home.  So, I like to clean before I leave.  Gives me a sense of accomplishment for the whole trip.  And it saves my sanity.  Save it, so I can lose it another day.

The wife and I are dreading the long drive, though.  SaraJane is at the age where she cannot tolerate being in the car-seat for anything more than a quick journey.  After a minute or two, she starts making a low -pitched, rumbly/achy noise in the back of her throat, which is her first warning that she’s about to get really mad.  Another minute, and she starts a bout of yelling, telling you exactly how she feels in 9 month old barky language.  After all of this, and to her immense disappointment, her audible ramblings haven’t earned her emancipation from the bonds that hold her, and she cries.  And cries.  And finally, sleeps.  I like when she sleeps.  But that’s when you must be very, very quiet.  It makes for a fun car ride.

No, I still have not heard word one from the hospital.  I’m getting antsy.  I’ve done all I can, I suppose.  It’ll start when it starts.  I just want to see what it’s like, you know?  I’ve pretty much decided to move ahead with the CNA program.  After that, I’ll start the LPN program at Gateway.  Who knows; with a bit of gentle prodding from the wife, I may even become an RN, and make some decent money again someday.

It’s funny; I never thought I’d change my career.  I thought I’d stay at Cox Communications for years and get some retirement out of it.  I enjoyed it for the most part.  It’s when I started driving three hours a day that it began to get old.  Things that never bothered me before became the greatest annoyances.

I do realize that I have to start working again sometime, if only for my own good.  Some nights, when I have a free moment to think about going into nursing, I get nervous and apprehensive.  I think about what I’ll be doing/seeing, and it scares the bongos out of me.  And still other nights, I feel pretty confident and zealous about the whole project.  Any advice from the congregation out there?

Oh yes, and the phone books arrived on our doorstep yesterday.  What a day!  Such an event!  Does my sarcasm come through ok?

It took me only a few steps from the front door to get them straight into the recycle bin.  I just don’t see the point in having them anymore.  Not for me, that is.  If I need a phone number, address, or recommendation for pizza, I go straight to the iPhone.  Tangent time.

The things we mere mortals can do from pocketable telephones now:

1. Call people
2. Look up anything, anywhere, anytime.  The power of the ‘Net.
3.  Read the news
4.  Play video games
5.  Take a picture
6.  Check e-mail
7.  Find out the local temperature/forecast
8.  Check a bank account balance
9.  Pay bills
10.  Listen to music
11.  Watch a movie
12.  Find a movie

And on, and on.  Like living in Star Trek.  I still can’t get over it.

Anywho, back to telephone books.  I understand their importance in quite a few venues.  I know a lot of people must still use them.  And I know they must still generate a lot of cash for ol’ Dex.

Regardless, I can’t imagine the vast amount of work and resources that go into a project like the bi-yearly printing of the phone directory.  But most people in my neighborhood have either recycled them, or they’re still sitting on the front porch.  I think therefore, that it should be a choice to receive them, no?  I’m not even a landline telephone customer, for cryin’ out glavin.  (Mmn hmm, ah hay!)  /Professor Frink

Much to do, much to do. Must end, for now.  Thanks for stopping by again!  Much appreciated, for certain.

In response to this article, (link opens new page, as well as explains what I’m arguing against) I can say only this; it’s truly a matter of opinion.  Therefore, I am completely aware that what follows is simply my take.  But I’m pretty sure I’m right.

I kid.  I am not putting the article’s author down in any way when I say that I wholeheartedly disagree with his viewpoints on a perfectly functional piece of equipment.

I am speaking about my recently hacked Dell Mini 9 netbook, which was transformed almost magically into a fully functional Macbook Mini.  At only 2.5 lbs and a diminutive form-factor, it is the perfect tool for me whenever I leave the house.  In fact, it routinely stays with me while in the house, as well.  Having been a blogger for the past seven or eight years, I can say this laptop is the best tool for the trade.

iPhoto does run, just barely

The author is correct in stating that you do get what you pay for.  This machine is not a Macbook, neither in terms of performance, nor its capabilities.  I cannot successfully navigate my stash of nearly 10,000 photos in iPhoto without the machine giving up and either freezing, or throwing 4,000 errors into the wild.  (This is not hyperbole; when iPhoto last locked up, I opened the error console and saw 4,000 errors waiting for me, generated within the past two minutes)

I will be perfectly honest, I had not personally owned an Apple computer before (though, my wife had).  I was really excited at the prospect of having this machine run OS X.  I stretched this computer further than it should have gone, but that is not the fault of the machine.  I get the feeling that the blogger over at TUAW was guilty of the same sin, but to a much more extreme degree.  Therefore his disappointment was all the more keenly felt.

The Hackbook next to a Seagate Free Agent Go

To his argument that the trackpad gestures do not work, I say this; it’s not an Apple machine, and for someone who already owns several several Mac products to say this is disappointing.

The size of the included SSD hard drive is diminutive, and like TUAWSteve said, it is not sufficient for installing every program that you could possibly need.  But again, used as a blogging tool, all you really need is a decent word processing program and the ability to browse the net.  If more space is needed, purchase an external hard drive and/or a larger SDHC storage card.  I have already done the former, and plan on purchasing a 16gb SDHC card for a compacted version of my iTunes music library. (Because it’s important to have music while you type!)

Who's a good netbook? Yes, you are!

But I am still extremely pleased with my hacked Dell Mini 9 netbook, and here’s why.  The joy was in the journey!  I love messing around with technology, and love being able to make it do things that it originally was not intended to be used for.  Believe me, the thrill of turning on the machine and seeing the Apple OS X boot screen has come and gone, but the usefulness and intrigue of the machine lives on.

It should also be noted that I do not share TUAWSteve’s view that Apple is indeed working on their own version of a netbook, at least a netbook as far as the world defines it at this point.  Timothy Cook, Apple’s COO, was correct;  current netbooks are cramped, are limited in their use, and come with terrible software.  I don’t envision Apple moving away from their core at this point just to create something that the masses seem to be taking a liking to.

The popularity of Netbooks will eventually wane, and I think it’s a justified end, simply because it is such a niche product for a niche economy.

But as for me, I am glad that I purchased and hacked my Dell Mini 9.  I think it’s rather ironic that I did so at the recommendation of the same blogger who has now turned his back on the entire experience!  I intend to continue using this machine for most of my blogging needs, and look forward to taking it with me on my trip to Utah this week.

So far, no updates from the hospital, so I doubt I’ll be volunteering there this week.  I’d just like to know, you know?  Because knowing helps you feel better about the time when you didn’t know.  So it will be a few more weeks of waiting.  I’m excited to get out of the house a little bit, gather some outside stimuli to dust off the cobwebs in my mind.  Sometimes when I write, I feel like I am peeling away at old information.

Some points of excitement for me, as I’m getting iLife and iWork tomorrow for my little Dell Macbook.  The thing that worries me is whether I’ll have enough room for all the neat programs they come with.  I really only want Pages from the iWork suite, and really want to try out iPhoto from the iLife collection.  iPhoto has some great features that should make my thousands of digital photos easier to find.  And Pages just removes the clutter while you write.  I find it harder and harder to write with all that can distract you on this screen.

The family is gearing up for the trip to Utah next week; we’re leaving the heat.  I just hope it doesn’t snow while we’re there.  I’d like to take at least one trip up into the mountains, you know?  Hike a little bit (lot).  I’m not much for skiing anymore, so the less snow on the mounts, the better.

I don’t put nearly enough pictures on this blog, I know.  It’s extremely difficult to do with my blogging tool.  You’re thinking to yourself, “Didn’t you change the whole thing so it would be easier?”  Yes, yes I did.  And in the process, added 8 more steps.  I could be back to the old format before you know it.

Talked to Sumner’s teacher a little bit after school today, seems the lad can’t stay in his seat.  Most other aspects of his behavior in the classroom are steady for now, but the chair is his mortal enemy, it seems.  Strangely, this makes me smile, only because that trait is so much like his pop.  In so many ways, he has the charisma and predilections of his dear mommy, so whenever I get to mark one in the daddy column, I like it.  

No, I never wanted to stay in my seat.  In my young mind, there were about 50 other things that I would rather be doing, or seeing, or experimenting with, and I was actively categorizing them in my mind for later activity.  I see the same in Sumner.

As far as SaraJane goes, she cut two more teeth in the past week, with a few more looking ripe for  departure.  She’s also cruising around the couches more and more, looking braver for that first big step away from the hand hold. 

It breaks my heart to see her grow so fast, because little girls turn into big girls, and big girls turn into young women that find a way to get married.  18 years is never enough with a daughter.  I hope that, somehow, she sees how much her daddy loves her.

My goodness, I’ve reached the magical 500 work threshold yet again.  That’s more than enough.  Goodnight, and thanks for reading.

I really should try to remember what I did this weekend, only because I’m sitting here feeling too darn satisfied and accomplished.  Back, I say!  Wipe that smug look off your face. 

Thursday.   Only because our weekend starts on Thursday.  We knew we were in for a long weekend, with showers and parties and visiting family and what-not.  (Reading that sentence to myself, I realize I should completely avoid any complaint or heavy-handed tones)  The wife returned from work at her usual hour that evening, feeling overwhelmed and not a bit relieved at the thought of the approaching weekend.  Full of advice I was not, and so suggested we head off to dinner.  

We thought an invitation to my mother-in-law was in order, and did so.  But alas, she had already eaten!  But the thoughtful woman one-upped us at that point; she offered baby-sitting.  Ah, the weekend had just gotten that much better.   

For some strange reason, we decided to head ourselves in the direction of our neighborhood California Pizza Kitchen.  They have good sourdough bread.  It’s the reason I used to go there so much.  

Side note: sign of the times, you have to request the bread now.  Even more poignant sign of the times; the bread stinks.  Only slightly resembles what it used to be, and more closely resembles damp styrofoam.  But it was eaten, of course.

The wife and I did a real number on the poor waitress that evening.  First offense was sending back the Pepsi; it was flat and watery.  Plus I forgot that Pepsi is only ordered when eating Mexican food.  But that’s an aside.  Second offense to the poor attendant was the Wife’s entree.  Being the adventurous and cavalier spirit that she is, she ordered something new.  Now, she’s a trooper and fought a few bites down, but several people averted their eyes after a few moments of the arrival of the dish and begged for wooden stakes to be driven through their hearts.  Oh, you didn’t get my joke?  Garlic.  There was too much garlic in the dish.  Get it?  Vampires don’t like garlic.  Oh, forget it.

So, we sent it back.  At that point, dinner was a bust, so she wanted to see the desert menu.  Ordered the Hot Fudge Sundae.  Sounded like a safe bet to me!

The waitress came back with something called a Turtle Sundae, which seemed odd to me.  Odd because my wife never, ever mentioned the word “turtle”, nor those numerous other words in the English language that rhyme with “turtle”, such as….such as…hmm. I’m no Dr. Suess here, but I’m fairly certain there aren’t any.

So the third offense was set in stone at that point, and away went the turtle sundae.  After a few moments the waitress came back with a sundae, minus the turtle.  That worried me.  And spoiled my appetite.  

The date night continued on quite effortlessly from that point.  A trip the the Fake Apple Store, where I was coaxed by the employees to display my hacked Dell Mini 9 netbook running Mac OS X.  Ok, ok, maybe I steered the conversation toward a point where they simply had to see it.  But when they actually asked, I grew afraid and asked if I was allowed to.  Afterall, did I not break the EULA?  Hogwash.  

And what would a date be like without a trip to Wal*Mart? Lucky for you readers we don’t have to find out, because there was Wal*Mart.  Oh, yes.  I’ll spare you the details.  Synopsis: we bought a lot of crap that we didn’t need, but will always end up using.

Friday was a very lazy day.  Didn’t even leave the house until 2′ish in the afternoon, when it was time to hunt down fruits and vegetables for the baby shower the Wife was throwing that evening.  First stop was Fresh and Easy, which has never proven to be either or, as this particular location always smells like old celery and involves us carting down one aisle before turning back for the door.  

Sprouts ended up being a wiser decision for us, and besides; they have bulk candy.  

Later that evening, it was just me and the boy.  Sumner and I had great time, ordered pizza, ate most of it, watched Madagascar 2, played video games, and made cupcakes.   Sadly for him, he fell asleep right before the first batched popped out of the oven.  I saved him plenty.  Which he’s not allowed to eat.  Muah hah hah. 

Saturday my friend Neal came over to play Super Metroid.  By my count, this now makes just over 12 years that we have been playing that game together, and we show no signs of stopping now.  I’m always grateful for his visits.

When the afternoon arrived, we packed up the family and headed for Maricopa, some 45 miles southwest of our location in Mesa.  A birthday party for my wife’s boss’ son, and Sumner was invited.  You may have already seen the pictures from this raucous occasion.  A wonderful individual with a half dozen or so snakes and lizards came to entertain the kids and adults alike.  Everything from a lizard that would fit in your hand, to a 17 foot Python he brought, and the kids loved every minute of it.  Sumner let the man put one six foot python around his neck, and I’m still reeling from the shock.  The boy runs from the sight of a seven pound dog.  Amazing.

Put the kids to sleep that night and watched The Quantum of Solace, which was great.  It was a good night for a Bond flick.

Sunday was spent at my folks house, eating wonderful steak and potatoes and brownies, watching Sumner play outside like a loon, and relaxing a bit.  Came home after a few hours, tidied up the home, and settled down.  Being void of cable TV, HULU.com came to the rescue and allowed us to catch up on Scrubs and The Office.  

It all brings me here, 927 words later, to the point where I sit here on my bed, typing away on a keyboard that is much too small for comfort, compelled by some unknown force to give you all a traveling journal of my weekend with the family.

If you enjoyed it even a quarter as much as I did, then I know you smiled.  Thanks for the read, come back again tomorrow.

For those of you who may have missed it at the Moblah’g, check this out.

No…he still won’t pet a dog.  But he will allow a six foot python around his neck.  Love that boy.

-Sting

Something about having a notebook with me where ever I go encourages me to write.  Although I still wish I were a pen and paper guy; my brother keeps a journal with him wherever he goes so he can jot down ideas and thoughts immediately.  I guess it shows the 10 year disparity between us.  I do remember the thrill of the open, blank page too, but my tenure with such an environment was shorter lived and thus my transition to typing everything was much more rapid.  

Even in the dawn of the digital revolution, writing on word processors was more engaging than most contemporary computer programs.  All you had was the cursor and maybe a menu.  Nothing to distract you; nothing to lead your writing down the wrong angle.  It’s what I dislike most about Microsoft Word.  They seem to think you want 9,000 options when really, all you want to do is make something bold, or change your font.  

Writing with the pen is an art.  I should put more energy into it.

Spent most of the morning cleaning up the house with the family’s help.  Too much was neglected yesterday; Wednesdays are generally nasty.  The wife is at work all day.  Waffles came to the rescue though.  Waffles make everything better.

We did manage to get Sumner’s hair cut though.  When the time came for Sumner to jump in the chair, the young lady called out “Summer”, as happens more often than not.  The wife and I both knew this was a possibility when we named him, but I didn’t realize how annoying it would be.  This, coming from the person who was called “Ryan” or “David” or some other combination his whole life, but never “RyanDavid”.  SaraJane won’t fare much better, I’m afraid, even with the lack of a space betwixt her pronouns.  What have I done?

There’s much for us to look forward to in the coming weeks, as we get to travel to Utah as a family to see my niece’s baptism in early May.  I haven’t been in Utah in spring time in years, so it will be nice to go back.  I called Snowbird today to make reservations like I do every year, but received word that Summer packages won’t go into affect until a week after we leave.  Sigh.  There’s always next year!

No word yet on when the volunteer work at the hospital begins; I was hoping for a call this week.  With Friday on the horizon, I’m leaning heavily toward next week.

The boy just came upstairs; he seems a bit restless.  I’m going to do the daddy thing for a little while.  Thanks again for reading!