Hectic Pair Of Weeks

What a pair of weeks we have had. First off the new car. We decided not to trade in our piecer saturn in case we ever do decide to fix it and have two cars. We also decided to pay my sister Missy and her wonderful family a visit. Grady works at a car dealership and was able to help us obtain our new wheels. It is a Toyota Highlander. We are pretty excited. It is easy to get Levi in and out of and has plenty of room for other important things like guitar equipment. Levi did really well on the long car rides until we had to leave Gunnison for Salt Lake. He didn't like that last bit and it took us a little while to get there but we made it.

The next week was horrible for me. The sad thing is I like thanksgiving. I like the food and pie but I especially like being with family. First off because I work in a hospital I obviously have to work on certain days especially holidays. The worst part of it was that I asked in advance if we could request certain shifts on the holidays we had to work. I was told yes. But dumber heads prevailed and I was put on a shift that wasn't what I had asked a month and a half prior. The bosses screwed up and I ended up having to leave the festivities early to be to work. It made it worse because they changed my schedule at the last minute due to an error on their part. I ended up having to tell a coworker that we couldn't play in the turkeybowl at church because of this.

On a good note I have another calling in the ward. I am the only leader for the 11 year old scouts. It is fun to look back and teach them stuff that I loved learning when I was their age. Sadly I think that it is a throwback to a bygone era.

The other beef I have with work is they keep losing paperwork. I requested this weekend off to go and watch the BYU vs. Utah game. Instead I got to work and have my wonderful wife and sister send me score updates via txt message. It sounded like an ugly game. And as fun as a rivalry is I am dissapointed in a certain player who shot his mouth off. That is not the way to represent.

GGGOOOLLL!!!

So I spent last night living in the past listening to RSL on the radio because I don't have cable to watch fox soccer channel. It was a boring 2 hours until the end. No score and of course the exciting dramatics of winning on PK's. However the real stories of the weekend involve Nett.

First is after the game was over I turned on the news to watch the highlights of the game I couldn't watch on tv. Nett was getting frustrated with the news editor who decided to invest more time on stupid screaming girls who got to meet some no name people in a popular movie series. Then we got maybe 30 seconds of highlights. Stupid news anchors.

The next one was this morning. We got up and were driving to church. In our neighborhood there is an old sinclair gas station that has been shut down since I can remember. Some guy was out at this run down gas station trying to put gas into his truck. He may have been drunk. We were laughing at him as we drove by.

We have also come to the decision to buy a car. We have had the blessing of borrowing our inlaws pathfinder but we need one of our own. So off to the land of hell and high water to buy a car. Hopefully I will have more luck with this car than I did with the last three I have had.

Day of the Dead

I think halloween is a really screwed up memorial day. Instead of paying our respects to the dearly departed, we celebrate all of the names and other things we said or thought about these people. For example, devil woman, smart @$$, vampire, ding bat, and other stuff. I love halloween though. I love making my own costume by either buying or making accessories to fit a profile.

However we need to back up a little bit. My first week of "Cation" was spent dejunking the house. It took a week when Nett was working 4 hours a day and during that time I had to take care of my boy. We got a lot accomplished and the place looks better than it has since I moved in. It probably was my fault. When we move it should be fun to find some things we thought were missing. Nett was happy and has loved the ease in which it is now to clean up the clutter which has been cut in half.

Saturday, Holly hooked me up with a ticket to Real Salt Lake's last home game. I am a big fan and I enjoy going to the games. Rusty and Brockton came with us and enjoyed it even though they got a little cold. I was excited because the boys got to see two really good goals pretty close. If it had been warmer I think Nett and Levi would have come to the game with us.

Sunday last week we had an awesome time with some good friends of ours, namely the Gronemans (Derek & Tawni) and the Carters (Steve & Vanessa). We had some killer grub and played our game "Match Mate". It is like the newlywed game. We learned some things about our good friends and we all had good laughs. Thanks guys. We will definitely need to do this again soon.

The next week was bizarre and tough. I though it was my last week of rest and relaxation for my "cation". Nope I was gravely mistaken. Nett's supervisor at work took a much needed vactaion with her family to Hawaii. So the work load increased for one of Nett's coworkers and not much else. Then Nett's other coworker got sick with flu-like symptoms. It turned out to be something other than the flu but she had to stay home for a while. So Nett got to work hard. She worked for a while, came home, worked some more, came home and did a third trip usually. I got to try to entertain Levi. I am getting better at it but I am not very good with non movers. I mean those children who cannot move themselves from one place to another. So it has been a long week that way.

The only break we got was on thursday. Our good friends the Andersens came up to visit. We had again good grub and a great time visiting with them and taking them to see the Salomon Center. We got to watch the IFLY machine with the instructors putting on a show. We also stopped to watch Flowrider, the indoor surfing place. It was really fun.

Yesterday we got to dress Levi up as tigger. It was fun. Me and Nett took him trick or treating up and down the street where Nett's sister lives. The little kids went with us and we got some good candy. We also had a murder mystery dinner that Char (Nett's sister) put on. It was really entertaining. I got it right on from the start. We had some great grub and good times with Nett's family. We only wish that we could have been able to visit with everybody a little longer.

Here are some pics.

Levi as a Pumpkin (BLECH!!!)

Levi wearing Steven's shaggy wig.

Levi as Tigger with Nett the "Angel"

We have our little Tigger and the "Angels".

I am goin' on a 'Cation

What a week we have had here in the clan. Levi is still teething his one tooth and it bugs him like mad so he in turn is practicing sharing and letting us know when it hurts or bothers him. What a nice kid. Next lesson moderation in all things.

Nett is swinging between work and taking care of us boys. I don't think they ever mentioned to her that the hardest thing in the whole world would be taking care of a family. She never mentioned a young women's lesson or a young single adult lesson on family life. See when a man gets married and becomes a husband nothing really changes except he now has a date every weekend for the duration of the marriage (eternity seems long now doesn't it) and he has to be smarter with all of his assets. This is harder for others that for some.

When a woman gets married she reaps the benefit of knowing who her date is going to be on weekends for the rest of her marriage (again eternity) but she gives up a lot. Now if the couple adds a child the wife is really in trouble. Now she gets all sorts of things like teething babies and a grouchy husband who's job is the pits and has two kids to take care of. Lucky for her one of the kids is usually old enough to help out.

I married a wonderful woman. I can't say it enough. She makes me happy and makes me enjoy comming home. Having Levi has only increased that desire to be home.

I am still on the hunt for a new job. I haven't heard anything but I am hopeful that something better will come our way soon.

We had the opportunity to have my inlaws come and visit on their way home from Portland. We had a great visit (I happened to get off work early) and topped off the visit with shakes from Artic Circle. We also got to visit my folks down in South Jordan. It was short but we had a good time. I was working on recording some music with my brother Chris. It was tedious but I enjoy it. Even if I only got one song done.

I also had another soccer ball mishap. The first was accidentally using a cat as a goalie at the inlaws durring conference weekend. The second was trying to score on my brother and clipping some ladies ear. I did apologize and had a real hard time not laughing. Guess I need to work on the shooting again.

Lord I was born a ramblin man.....

So it has been a few weeks since the last post and blah blah blah blah blah. The first weekend We had birthdays down at Mom and Dad's. It was fun. We made brithday cards for Chris and Dad on the computer and I will say they turned out pretty darn good. Nett keeps getting mad because I don't use my "creative side" enough. We were out shopping and found a shirt that says "If my music is too loud you are too old." We thought it was funny and would fit Dad really well for his next gig.

The next weekend was of course general conference. I enjoyed the talks that I heard. They were good and I can't wait to get on the internet and spend hours downloading them and preping itunes to play them. Nettwill think it was time well spent. We had a great time down in Gunnison with the inlaws. The food was good and the company was better.

Levi has had some interesting changes. First at the Squire's house Levi was awakened by the screaming of young female cousins who don't know when to shut up and probably never will. We brought him out to mingle about 10:30 on saturday night and Levi's cousin Savannah was sitting next to us on the couch. Levi looked at her (she is a pretty young woman) and his bottom lip rolled up and started to quiver. We asked Levi if she was scary beyond reason and he started to cry. We laughed with her and he quit. As soon as the laughing stopped the crying began. Poor Levi.

Levi is also getting his first tooth. It is a little white bump on his lower jaw and you can see it if his tounge gets out of the way. He isn't hurting too much with it anymore but we can definitly wait for tooth number 2. Especially since he has begun rolling over on his own. He thinks the best times to do this are on mom and dad's bed, when he is laying next to the coffee table or in his crib. So we have to watch him ever so diligently now that he is moving. We are now starting to try to baby proof the house. Bye bye guitar equipment.

We also had the priveledge of babysitting for Nett's brother in SLC. We had a fun night though eating pizza and playing Burnout 3. J likes to crash the cars and then if we did good enough blow up the smashed car at the end. I think I want this game now. I don't know yet if it will be allowed.

Well we are certainly hoping for some drastic changes in our life soon and we pray for the big ones (job, location) every day.

I think I have wasted enough time now so back to the music.

Two Weeks, Two Days Late and Two Dollars Short

What a few weeks we have had. I will have to back up a little bit. I really try to write once a week but I sometimes am out of town like last weekend. And what a weekend.

For Nett's birthday she begged me to buy tickets to the Yanni concert. She wanted to go really bad and I had kind of promised her I would take her if he ever came to Salt Lake. For my birthday I wanted tickets to the USA vs. El Salvador World Cup Qualifier. We went and had a killer time. USA won 2-1 and made it an even better night. My parents were kind enough to watch Levi for us. I have to tell you about the fans that were around us. Two were these girls wearing short dresses that looked like they came from Burbon Street in New Orleans during mardis gras. They of course were cheering for El Salvador. Almost the rest of the people around us were supporting the USA and were mostly drinking beer. The refereeing was horible and everytime the guy would make any kind of a call (usually wrong) these guys would say all of the words on my mind. I appreciated it because I didn't have to say anything. My wife appreciated it.

This rest of the time has been the same old stuff. I still can't buy an interview and work is the same as always. Levi is growing and starting on his rice cereal. He has also taken to blowing spit bubbles and spitting a little bit. He enjoys this mostly while he is eating cereal, or taking medicine for his ear infection. At first I think Nett thought it was cute but it is bugging her a little now.

These are some pics we had taken at Target. Hope you enjoy!

Two weeks more and whaddya get?

So I guess it is time to back up a bit. The first event was something I missed and it was funny. My littlest sister turned 25 and says she doesn't feel any older except she has all the symptoms of aging. Welcome to life dear. For more info read her blog. The funny part was I called and reminded a few family members who forgot it was her birthday and told them to call her. Then I got doing something and totally forgot to call myself. Well I am just a hypocrite like everybody else. Sue me.

Friday night we went down to Lehi to provide the cake for Nolan's birthday. They all went out for steak and waited forever at a new Texas Roadhouse. We had to come late because I had to work. Then we drove all the way down to Gunnison. We got there a little after midnight and crashed. Even Levi slept a little longer than usual.

Saturday was very eventful. We sat around for most of the morning recouperating our strength from the drive down and finally decided to go shoot the .22's and the 12 guage. Lynette's brother Robert came with us and we had fun. The only thing was I had a shell explode wrong in the gun and it made my ears ring for the rest of the day. Lesson learned. Use the hearing protection that is stored with the rifle. Even Nett shot the .22 but I couldn't get a picture of her shooting. She didn't want to try the 12 guage.

Later that night we drove up Mayfield canyon to have Nett's 10 yr. high school reunion. They had a good crowd and Nett got to see some old friends and lots of familiar faces. They had barbecued pork sandwiches (which I loved and Nett didn't think they were that great), chips and of course Sodas. The really cool part was that we had a prayer to start things off. They had a little slide show and just visited. Even Levi came though he was not invited. At three months he knows how to crash parties.

The next day we were able to attend the afternoon session of the Dedication of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Nett's mission president spoke. It was very uplifting. We had a great time. We then traveled through the middle of San Pete county and passed the Manti Temple and Snow College. Both places are dear to us. We stopped off to see Mom and Dad and then went home.

Tuesday we came back down to have our pictures taken. We decided to do the whole family as a gift to Mom and Dad for christmas since the last picture we had was right before Chris left on his mission. Now our family has grown and we had a good time at Wheeler Farm.

The only down side is I got turned down for many jobs again this week. For some reason I cannot buy and interview with anybody, even my own company. I don't know the reason or anything. I guess we will just keep plugging along.

And for the final story. Today we were sitting in the chapel durring the sacrement. Levi kept leaning over towards Nett for some reason. The second time he did I didn't correct him and he began relieving his bowels very audibly while the Young Men were passing the sacrement. Lynette and I were laughing so hard and at the same time we were trying to be reverent. In the end Nett took him out and changed his diaper. It was absolutely hilarious.

So this is the Clan Leader signing off until next time.

Crazy Week

So to begin the venting. For those of you who are having, planning to have children listen up. We have been having some issues with Levi's insurance. There is this rule/law that you have 30 days to get a copy of the birth certificate of your new bundle of joy to the insurance company so the new child will be insured from the minute of birth until whenever. We did this and are being denied because our employer runs their insuranc through another party. We don't know what their job is other than to piss off the employees. It is a real hassle and not worth the pain. We are fighting hard.

Nett is less than excited to go back to work. But we need the money and so back she goes. It should be interesting. Levi gets his first day of hang out with dad. This should be a wonderful disaster. Hopefully we won't kill each other.

We had a great time up at Christmas Meadows thursday. We went up with my grandparents and got to sit, talk, relax and enjoy good food at Dick's drive in. It was relaxing even though it only lasted for one day. Levi didn't make it the whole way. Somewhere between Huntsville and South Weber he kinda got sick. We won't be taking him for extended car rides anytime soon.

Still haven't heard anything on the job. I put in for a director position in Caldwell ID. I passed the initial screening but it is too early for anything else. Hoping still.

The trap shoot was very fun. We had 16 Elders/YM show up and we had about that many shotguns. I shot a 54/75 which isn't stellar but it isn't too bad. I just need practice. I am going again near Gunnison this weekend which should be a blast.

We are also looking forward to attending the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication on Sunday. It is a beautiful building and we look forward to going through it after the dedication. Hopefully the angel won't need to visit Michael Jackson's plastic surgeons anymore. Hee Hee Hee.

Another Week Another Dollar?

So another busy week for me and of course for Lynette. She and I are trying to figure out how to care for our little guy while she returns to work. Her departement has allowed her freedom to come in whenever she can, which is when I am not at work. This will help us greatly. I will get to spend more one on one time with Levi which leaves me a little bewildered. He has taken to crying when I hold him sometimes and then I get frustrated and give him to Lynette and he calms down. Atleast he knows where the food comes from.

Work is work. I got to play supervisor a couple of times and we were able to get done quickly and leave. I feel pretty good about how I did.

I am still waiting to hear from a job I applied for. I got a phone interview but was told to be patient and wait for several weeks before hearing anything. We are praying and hoping that it works out.

I got to teach the lesson in elder's quorum a week early. I traded with the other teacher because he had some kind of conflict. But it is funny. When I looked ahead to see which lesson I would be teaching I glanced at the lesson for this week entitled Relief Society: Divine Role for Women. I though to myself, I am sure glad that is not my lesson. Well folks, the good Lord had other Ideas for me and I sure learned some stuff I didn't know.

On a much less humble note, My wife and I purchased tickets to see the USA vs El Salvador soccer game in Sandy at the new Rio Tinto stadium. I am excited and have been looking forward to the game since it was announced. I am even making my own t-shirt to wear providing i can find the stuff to print on. I think I may have to give up hope and buy some new stuff.

Our Elders Quorum is going trap shooting on wednesday. I have the gun but I don't think that I will be any good. I have what my wife affectionately calls Brett Maverick syndrome. I can shoot fast but I can't hit @#$%%^&&***. Well you get the idea anyway.

And Finally we are heading up for a day of R & R in the High Uintah Mountains for a day with my grandparents. We had been toying with the idea for months and a good opportunity has presented itself and so we are going to take advantage of it.

Week of Endurance

I got to have a great time working a whole week from 5:30 a.m. till 1:30 p.m. for five straight days. It was hard. Getting up on my mission wasn't this hard that I remember. Oh well I will live I suppose. Now the next week I am working mostly afternoon shifts.

Nett is trying to stay on top of everything but little Levi can be quite demanding of her time and attention. He finally spit up on me for the first time this week. My parents would just laugh and say payback is nice isn't it but I don't think Levi is going to give it to me like I gave it to them. Atleast we hope not.

Nett had a chat with her bosses and co-workers to determine how she should come back to work if I am not hired at a new position that pays better in the next two weeks. They have been really good to her and are looking forward to her return, although her staying home would be bitter sweet due to the friendships she has made there. I might also note they are allowing her to come back part time so Levi will always have someone home with him.

Our bishopric was changed today. The stake president gave a 30+ minute housekeeping talk, boldly admonishing our ward to; stay away from gossip, observe the baptismal covenants mentioned in Mosiah 19, bear true testimony and quit giving travel/health,love,thankimony logs to the ward. He actually explained a good reason for bearing testimony and not doing those other things. It was something I had never considered. It was like a Zone Conference where the mission president gives it how it is to the missionaries. I walked away feeling that I could try harder to be a better person. He also told us to read the lessons for church and to follow the manuals. They were printed and published in this manner for a reason.

Then we got to the new bishopric. They were called of God to serve in this capacity. I am excited to see what they can do for us as a ward.

Our elder's quorum is planning a trap shooting activity. I have the shot gun and I am rearing to go. Hopefully work will cooperate and give the day off I need.

It appears that our family is in for some big changes here pretty soon. Work and with the changes in our ward and with Levi here we are going to see that goes.

I am beyond tired

This last week was very abnormal for me. Or pretty much typical. Work is letting many people go on vacations and that leaves the rest of us to fill in the gaps they create. I got stuck working in the cafeteria for the whole week. I liked having the weekend off but I am not digging the 5:00 am wake ups. And I still have one week to go.

On the topic of work, I got passed over for another promotion. I didn't even get an interview with my own bosses this time. I don't know how this other employee will work out though. Should be real interesting. I also have had a phone interview with a clinic managed by the same company I already work for. The interview went well and I am hoping they will call sometime this week and want another interview in person this time.

We also had a wonderful visit from my Aunt Karen and Uncle Val. They were in town for the week and we got to see them. We had a nice visit where the entertainment was provided by a squirrel trying to jump from the tree into the bird feeder. He kept looking and looking before he finally got the guts to go for it and he enjoyed a good meal.

We also got a visit from Lynettes brother Robert and his family. We had a great dinner and then walked to a nearby park where Spencer played on the playground and we talked. For the 24th I had to work part of the day so we ended up down at Mom and Dad's for a BBQ. It was good.

Backing up to last Sunday, it is a tradition here at Weber State to have a concert and a fireside to kick off the Ogden Pioneer days. The concert consists of a local orchestra playing classical pieces and then ending the concert with Tchikovsky's 1812 overture with cannon fire. Then at the end of the show they shoot off fireworks. I went to this event when I was a kid with my folks and then I have gone since I lived up here. Lynette and I took Levi up this year. We got good seats and enjoyed the show very much. Levi didn't like the cannons and fell asleep during the fireworks. Oh well.

Events Traditions and The American Way

Our clan has had an eventful few weeks. So I will back up and start with the good old Fourth of July. I can't recall my family having any solid traditions in our celebrating the birthday of the USA. I do know we have usually set off fireworks. That is all I remember. So with a family of my own I want to start some of my own traditions and things. So I thought that over the last two 4ths that I would do it in the American Way; steal somebody elses.

I have some great friends, who every year get together and spend the day at Layton City's celebration of the 4th of July. We all got together at the Groneman's house and had breakfast. This annual feast is incredible. This year, at my wife's suggestion, I bought Derek, Steve, and myself a T-shirt we thought was funny. And it was. We all wore them together.

The women (our wives) were talking about babies, as Lynette just had one, Tawni is going to have one and Vanessa is contemplating.

The next event happened the next day. We were able to have all of Nett's family come with most of my family and some friends to bless Levi. We were very worried because we were going to have lots of people at church and although it was a holiday weekend the place was going to be packed. It was but almost everything worked out ok. Levi started to cry during his blessing, but calmed down long enough for us to take the sacrament. Then all hell broke loose. I spent the rest of Fast and Testimony Meeting out on the church stairs trying to calm the boy down. He would finally get close to calm and then scream again. Turns out he was hungry, the one thing I couldn't help him with.

We had a great meal afterwards while the kids got to go and play on the playground. We got to visit with our relatives, take pictures (I don't have them yet) and just relax.

Shortly there after our next adventure took place. I went to work for a few days and felt really sick. I called in on wednesday and went to the doctor. Turns out I was positive for the flu. We caught it early and we were able to treat it promptly. So I didn't get to bad but it was scary for a bit. It was very contagious and with the little boy in the house we had a lot of work to do. But Nett just rolled up her sleeves so to speak and took care of us. She is great for that. Normally I help a little with Levi. But I wasn't able to be near him. I wore a mask and everything if we had to be in the same room. But by God's grace neither he nor Nett got sick.

And for the last thing. I was itching to go and buy some music. I like listening to may types and have some of almost everything. I had enough birthday money left to go and buy one cd. I went to Target and looked for a while at several different cd's. I had it narrowed down to a choice between 2 cd's and I was having trouble picking. I stumbled upon a cd that Nett wanted. I grabbed it for her and then grabbed mine. So I spent more than I should have but it was worth it. When we got home I told her I was going to put the new cd in the cd player. She asked what I had bought (for me) and I answered Led Zeppelin. When Yanni started playing instead of Led Zeppelin she was surprised and gave me a kiss.

She enjoyed the concert associated with the Yanni cd and wanted it. But concert prices are outrageous. So we opted to wait. And Nett got a surprise. I enjoyed the concert. Good music even without electric guitar.

First Month

Our first month has gone by pretty quickly. Nett and I are discovering the joys and pains of parenthood. I think it is good to see our parents laugh a little realizing that we are now in it for the long haul. Levi is now growing and being our new little guy. He is constantly smiling at us and makes wonder on occasion what he is thinking about. On second though maybe I don't want to know. We are really looking forward to his blessing on Sunday.

I have to laugh. I think as men we try so hard to get the girls to notice us. And despite our best and worst efforts it seems to us that they never do. Or so we think. My wife keeps confessing she noticed me way earlier than I thought. Now that we have Levi, he is a chick magnet. Of course the girls notice him and not my wife or myself. And I am fine with that.

He is good and sleeps during the night and doesn't cry or fuss very much unless he is being awoken by a cold wet wipe to clean him or if he gets really hungry.






My sister got some good pics of him. I only put in the two. He is very happy and I like the one where he is sneezing. He sneezes a ton and got me in the face the other day. I got of easy. He gives Nett presents and showers.

Of other note, we got to take a tour of the new temple in South Jordan. It is very pretty and is unique for me. I liked the ring motifs and also the abundance of glass to make the temple more open. The tour was wonderful. We took Levi, and he got us a free ride on a golf cart to and from the car. He slept through the baptistry but was awake for the ordinance rooms, celestial room and the bridal prep room or whatever it is called. Then we topped it off with a good fish dinner (I cooked it) and some burgers.

I have to say I hate our car. It has been nothing but problems for us for the last six months. First the fuel pump, then the air conditioner and now who knows what. Thank God for good friends and family who help us. You know who you are and I am grateful for you and not that car.

Oh to end on something a little more humorous. The other night Lynette and I decided to watch a few more episodes of the A-Team. we are watching the episodes in order from season 1 to season 5. We are about 2/3ds of the way through season 2. Anyway I had Levi and I was trying to burp him or something and I ended up lying down with him on top of my chest. He had his head turned and he was watching some of the show with us. He fell asleep to heavy machine gun fire and the famous words "I love it when a plan comes together."

He's Alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have had a very eventful month. But the most recent days past have been the best. So we have a larger family now. Levi Nicholas Hancock was born on May 18 at 7:05 am. He was 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 inches long. He is doing well.

I have really come to appreciate my wife even more. Going through the process of pregnancy and birth with her has been amazing. She is such a trooper. It had been hard because I feel that in a marriage that the partners should try to do things equally. I haven't been able to do much of anything to help with growing this kid or even getting him here. The process of delivery is a miracle in and of itself.

Thankfully mom is doing well and baby is getting better. He contracted an infection shortly after birth and wasn't breathing very well. But thankfully our prayers were answered and all of the staff at the hospital has been very helpful. He is doing very well.

I flashed him with the camera about a half an hour after he was born and he squinted and started squirming. He is a great little boy and has been calm and peaceful. He came out eyes wide open and was just enjoying the ugly view of his father. He got to visit with mom and with his grandparents before they took him over to the nicu (neonatal intensive care unit). But he is doing well and has progressed well. Now for the medicine to finish working and we can take him home.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So welcome here son,

Love Dad

I forgot to post a little story that happened to us. They announced a few weeks ago that our ward was going to have a chili cook off. I didn't know what to think because our ward is a geriatric ward. Lots of old people with lots of health problems. I didn't quite know how to take it.

But my mischievious nature took over and I got my wife to enter me in the cook off. Now for the confessions. I have never made chili. The closest I ever got was opening a can. So I had no Idea what I was doing. Confession number 2. I love spicy food. To me chili should have a kick. I wanted to make some real chili and enjoy myself. Nett was worried because if there were left overs than she would have to eat some. Spicy food and her "medical condition" don't get along very well.

In the end it worked out very well. I gave it a small kick but not too bad. Nett liked the flavor and I won the spiciest chili award (my original goal anyway). My certificate and ribbon are on the fridge. And the best part was my chili was the first to be devoured by the ward.

The Ramblin' Man

So we begin again. This last month has been, lets say busy. First off my diploma finally came in the mail. I have been kinda expecting it for a while but you know colleges are slow. They do not ever practice what they preach.



Going along with that. I have been searching for a job for the last 6 months. Ever since i finished my final class in October. I had to wait until January for the school to post my diploma as earned on my transcript. But BooYah! I finally made it.



The market in my field was bleak before this whole economy imploded upon itself. Thanks alot Bill. Now it is even harder because most places are on a hiring freeze. So they post jobs, have an internal hire/promotion and leave the rest of us in crappy jobs.



So about my job.... it sucks. I was told for the first time in my life that being honest is not the best policy. Allow me to elaborate. There was a new position opened that had never been before in our facility. It gave me an hour cut but there was no weekends and no early morning shifts either. I went for it. I was told that the position was given to someone else because I am too honest. That was what they said! I think blunt would have been the better word to use but hey that is why they are where they are.



The search for work in the state has been bleak to none as of late. My wife wants to stay close to home. I want to as well. I have applied for many jobs and had 1 interview. I got turned for a management job for someone with no management skills or education. Geniuses!



I can be grateful we both are in good health. Nett continues to grow and prepare for May. She is finally having back pain. Our unborn son enjoys kicking and punching her every opportunity he can. He probably has UADHD. That is the same as ADHD but in the uterus. We are trying to get stuff ready so when the kid arrives soon he will have a place to stay.



We are going to have to move most of our books down to the folks basement and rearange the furniture. The guitar stuff stays in the room but I don't know if I will get to use the loud stuff because he will be sleeping.



My health is improving. I can play basketball, however I am slow and sore. This comes with the territory of recovery from surgery. I was excited that the doc gave me a clean bill of health and I don't have to go see him for anymore follow up visits unless something goes wrong.

I finally got a calling in the ward. It was an informal visit and I am going to be teaching Elder's Quorum. I am happy because I love teaching. It should be a great assignment. Nett is no longer serving in the primary and was sad to leave. Now she is the pianist in Relief Society. She likes it and plays very well.

Chau until next time

Ouch! That smarts

Another month has flown by for the clan. Most things haven't changed.

Nett is still trying to grow this baby of ours. He aparently responds to noise a whole lot. When we were at Guitar Center in late december the baby was doing all sorts of things. Nett went for food and he calmed down. We watch American Idol (Nett is really into following it) and everytime somebody sings (for better or worse) the babe starts doing stuff. He usually starts playing soccer with his mom's ribs or diaphragm. He also likes to act up (as she calls it) when somebody is speaking in church or a new voice comes on the scene. If something really loud happens he also squirms.

I finally got better. Well sort of. I made it through the bandages and all of that stuff. I rediscovered that growing back leg hair really itches. They sent me back to work because I am a menace to society and myself if left alone too long with nothing to do. I got to re-learn how to walk normal again. I don't limp now and I landed my first two foot jump the other day. It didn't hurt. I raise up on my toes but the muscle is still too weak to support running. I am praying for a few more weeks of winter so I can get to where I can run again. Then we break out the soccer ball.

The other painful thing though is finding a job. Not only is my degree in a field that is hard to enter, The economy isn't helping either. At the advice of a great mentor and friend (I'll call him father) I took this networking workshop from the LDS employement services. The class was informative and really gave me a great outlook on how to land that job, or atleast get your foot in the door. I haven't started to go for it yet, because my resume is looking a little down. But it gets better with each revision and will be ready to submit soon. I also have some great contacts to start networking through. So for anybody who needs help take the class. You will be glad you did.

I do have to back track. We are getting excited for this baby comming in a few months. He still has no name but we are thinking and trying to work on it. OK so Nett is I am procrastinating. We are kind of figuring on being in the apt. for now so we are thinking of how to rearrange the furniture so the Baby will have some place to sleep other than with us. We are going to have to get rid of the books, the camping equipment and some old junk but I think I have the wife talked into letting the guitars stay for now.

Surprise or not to be surprised.

In the last few weeks our lives have changed for the better. I have decided that certain people do not understand what a surprise is or what it is supposed to be. Or maybe I am off my rocker.

To start out Nett had her super duper ultrasound with all the bells and whistles trying to tell us if we are having a boy or a girl. Now on a major side track I enjoy certain surprises. Key word certain. I love christmas and the excitement that brings (it is better when you aren't high on lortab). I love finding things you thought were lost (especially money). I also like finding out good news for friends family and of course me. So back to the story. I have never been to an ultrasound let alone been in a room where they do them. So the tech gets nett up on the chair thing and starts rubbing to goop all over her belly and then starts putting this thing on there that of course emits the sound wave and produces a picture.

We were excited to find out and to see the baby move and stuff. Up unto this point Nett had bravely gone to these appointments alone. So the tech starts looking and says first thing, It's A Boy. See right there. So much for building the anticipation. And to top it off the baby decided to behave because dad was around watching. He has enjoyed punching and kicking Nett in the cervix as well as all over, when dad isn't watching. Especially after she eats chocolate or starts tapping her foot to the beat of some music. This of course usually happens when she is at work.

Now everybody wants to know what this poor child's name is. We don't know yet and well it may be a while before we do.

The other fun thing is we got a call from some good friends of ours. We were high on their notification list of people they want to notify when exciting things happen. They are also expecting their first child. It is early on so we don't know much yet but we are excited for you two.

Other than that nothing to report really. My ankle is healing and I have the luxury of making a decision about work before I go back in a week. I am trying to decide how to enjoy my last week of freedom before I get to be a slave again. I will miss being able to sit around and look for new jobs all day and play the guitar. It was a punishing life really.

The REAL Christmas Story

Now that the holidays are over it is time to reflect on what they really mean to each of us individually. For me it was a season of firsts.

It was my first holiday with my family. A short explanation is that I finally got married and now have a wonderful wife (and small developing fetus) to share the joys of the season with. It was my first time getting presents from my wonderful inlaws. It was the first time my wife spent Christmas away from her family. (I get to wait until next year to do that) It was the first time I got to be sneaky and hide my wife's gift so she couldn't find it.

And so the story goes...
The husband had surgery on christmas eve so the pregnant wife got to drive to the family hotel (atleast that is how it seamed). He was on pain killers so he was feeling pretty good. He did miss carrying in all of the stuff and generally helping out. He also missed playing with the nieces and nephews.

Weeks before the inlaws had their holiday party and a grand party it was. There were presents and food, cheer and loving warmth. There were teasings and ticklings, pleases and thank yous, and wonderful memories. This year there was a parade showing all of the adults the costumes of the nativity scene ending with a manger scene by the front door. Although no angels appeared to us to tell of His birth, the Mormon tabernacle Choir filled in nicely.

Christmas eve came and went. Everyone had a part to play. Music was played and sung, duets were attempted and some people still can't stop laughing. The piano hummed sweet melodies, and the strings of the guitar played out in the night. In this parade of the nativity, Uncle told the story of Luke, mary dragged Baby Jesus by his head and clothes, bouncing him on the rug, and there was only one shepherd. That shepherd had a really neat staff that wasn't curved and had owls and maple leafs on it. But the spirit of christmas shone on. More pain killers please.

This was probably the first Christmas Eve I have ever slept. I enjoy the season and the wonderful opportunities we have to think of the glories of Christmases long long ago. I just can't sleep. Although Santa has changed his identity a few times, I still look forward to his arrival every Christmas Eve night.

The kids had a blast seeing what Santa brought them and even Mom and Dad loved what they were given. Their kids are geniuses when it comes to gift giving.

The paper is gone, the fire is out. The gift card to Guitar Center is burning a hole in my pocket. The wife is happy she got what she wanted. The snow keeps on falling with pristene beauty. Too bad the wife says no sledding this year. At least not until after the leg heals.

So the story continues each year. Something new will happen again and again. Next year there will be a new addition to the parades. We will have to learn how to operate as Santa Claus did for us. And the Choir's will sing the Messiah again and again. Mannheim will sound and TSO will rock. And we will continue the story as it was told to us.

Now the non Story news. We had some good friends get married over the Christmas break. And it is all my fault. The story really is theirs but it was fun. It was nice to sit in the temple and reflect on our own marriage. Can't wait for them to come back.

We also got to meet another good friend's fiance. She is wonderful and we are looking forward to their marriage and all the joys of that. Vanessa is awesome. We got to spend some quality time getting to know her.

New Years was great. Nett's family had another party. I still suck at Halo but enjoy playing most of the time. It is always fun for people to see the words (blank) killed Chuck Norris. Nett fell in love with the Nintendo Wii. And we got to really just relax. Except for the dumb cat it was wonderful. We got to see a fireworks display worthy of the Fourth Of July. (I Love Evanston Wyoming) Unfotunately we both had medical conditions that made it so we couldn't go to jump on it this year.

My New Year's Resolution is to.......
(Like I'm gonna tell you.)