Christmas Party Surprise

No children were seriously hurt in the making of this film.

Doggy Time

Here are some much anticipated, promised, and late videos for Em.

Great Commercial

the "OUR FAMILY"

I just thought I'd post these so that all could get a better look at how they were depicted in the priceless work of art by Jen which is now up for bids. Just email me your your bid, then your money. I'm confident I can get you the original from the Casa de Bonita but I'm not confident of how long it would stay in your possession after that.

Second Annual Mantua Bike Trip

My best pal since childhood and I went on our second annual motorcycle trip to Mantua on Friday. You may recall we did this very ride a year ago, hence second annual. We have been talking about going on a ride for quite some time but as the weather gets cooler the pressure to go increases. Well we are both glad we waited a bit because Chay (best pal) got a new bike that very day we left. Like all things Chay, he got a "deal of a lifetime" on this bike and we were both all grins about it. The ride, although quite chilly, was great. There was a bit of snow towards the top of the mountain wich made things interesting as we were riding motorcycles and not snowmobiles. We had to do a bit of skiing with our tennies to keep from laying our bikes over as they fishtailed nearly out of control. *Mind you we are seasoned riders and do not recommend you try this at home. We were kind of pushing our limits with time as we raced the sun to see who would decend from our peaks firsts but not even the sun could best us (refer to asterisk).
I was suppose to work the next day but when I got to work, a 7:30 in Salt Lake, I got canceled. So off for another ride! We went to Farmington canyon and road in the snow again with some red necks who had set up some some things to shot with their guns (last couple of pics). Overall it was a great weekend with a great friend and we still have another ride scheduled for Burley in a couple of weeks. Thanks to Scottie for letting me enjoy his bike once again.

Doug likes dogs

We were worried for a while that Doug was only liked people and not dogs so much.  Every time he would get around another dog we would start a low growl and then bark.  After talking to Emily about it we figured it was probably because he was more nervous than anything.  Well the other night he got to interact with the Ferrin's dog Gracy.  Here is the footage.  As you can see, things went great, other than the few times Doug tried to eat Gracy's hind leg like a piece of chicken.  

 

Sir Douglas von Cypress

I know the majority of the readers of this blog have meet our newest family member Doug but I don't feel like he's been formally introduced.  We picked him up from Cedar City two weeks ago yesterday.  Much do our dismay he was much larger than the pictures online showed.  Felicia thought she'd be able to carry him around in her purse but soon realized she didn't even want to let him sit on her lap too long. We've finally decided the full registered name for Doug is, "Sir Douglas von Cypress". "Sir" because he is such a gentleman, "Douglas" because we love the name, "von" which is German for "from" and "Cypress" which is the family Cedar trees come from. Hence he is "The gentleman Douglas from Cedar" or Cedar City that is.    Just one week after we got him he developed "cherry eye", which is  common with the breed, and we had to send him into surgery to get it fixed.  That explains the cone on his head.  Doug is full of personality and funny antics which keeps us smiling and laughing.  His puppy eyes and quick desire to please bodes well for him because the desire to drown him is often there.  Doug has had a particularly rough day today and has heard the word "NO!" way too many times for one day.  Well when he went to Mom and Dad's for lunch he decided to get back at us by plopping a dirt clod into Felicia's shoe.  

    

July 27th

Today is Felicia and my (John, to those of you who were wondering who's abandoned blog this was) two year anniversary.  This past year has gone by in such a hurry.  It's been a year of high expectations, goals, many a nights standing in front of the dry erase board planning our days, making check lists, writing out our budget (time and time again), and constantly trying to squeeze just one more drop out of the day.  School has been the bulk of our lives since we've known each other.  We're there now as a matter-a-fact.  It has felt like an eternal process but there is light at the end of the tunnel, for Felicia anyways.  Anything she touches turns to gold.  Her attitude is, "if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right".  And she shines and I squint and smile.  

In our relatively short time together, in comparison to those of you who read this, this date has been a trail  marker for us.  A mountain of sorts that we have had to conquer together.    Obviously, two years ago on this day we were married.  One year later to the date we gave talks together in sacrament meeting.  There were many steps taken to get to those points of achievement.  The trail was dark at times but hope and blessings kept us moving.  Without dedication to each other those achievements that are miracles in my life would have never come to pass.  

As the clock chimes the passing of another year, our steps towards progress have taken us to new heights and our commitment to life and each other has granted us the opportunity to say "yes we can" again to a new challenge we've been prepared for.  This day proves once again that it is a special day for us as we would like to invite all to Felicia's baptism on Aug. 15.

We would like to publicly thank the Landrum's for their tremendous cooperation in making changes to their plans and making their lives a little less convenient so as to make ours a little more.  We hope that all can attend as it will be a very special day for all of us.   

ps. We are out of mins. on our phone plan so if you so desire, we can be contacted after 9pm.    

        

Blood Money

I have been donating plasma for, well, way too long.  Mom and Felicia cringe every time it's mentioned.  "I don't like it.  What if you get AIDS from a dirty needle?" -Mom  

Well as far as I know I haven't acquired any disease or virus but I have bought a lot of groceries and rented a lot of movies from the money I make doing it.  I get bonuses for donating on my fifth and seven time for each month.  I made enough this week alone to pay for my rent. (Don't quit your day job to do the same.  You'll be disappointed.)  Anyways, I took some pictures last time I went in so any of you who are unfamiliar with it can get a glimpse into my side job.  

Oh the life of a poor college student.  I love it.

Family Reunion Memories

Since there is so much talk about the Family Reunion, I just thought I'd post this to get us all excited.  Enjoy.

Dirty Harry

             Yes this is just the rabbit and yes, it is worth watching all the way through for some comic relief at about 50 sec.  Make sure you turn up your volume so you can hear my commentary.  So here it is. The much awaited and much prolonged video footage of            Harvey/Thumper/Dirty Harry.    Sorry it took so long Em. 

 

Nurse Dummy (that's me)

Do you remember as a kid playing house, cops and robbers, lost kids in the weed-fort, H&R Block (for only a very select few) or Doctor? That was fun. Now that we've all got our intern hours out of the way we get to practice some of these skills on a daily basis in the real world. (Make sure your kids are doing the right internship so they don't grow up to be a "lost kid" or a "robber") Anyway, as most of you know, Felicia is doing her internship, known as clinical hours, as a nurse. (That was a lot of commas) She gets to do a practicum in a made up scenario on a dummy and then practice her new skill in a real life situation at the hospital during her clinical hours. This past week was extra exciting for her. She learned how to put things in patients like drugs through an i.v., nasal gastic tubes, urinary catheters, depositories, and i.v.'s themselves. Then, as explained earlier, she got to practice all of those friendly skills on real people. Well she felt quite confident in herself in all of the above learned skills except for one, i.v.'s. She'd got to practice on a dummy but they don't let you practice on one another during nursing school anymore. Well the instructors know that practice makes perfect so they turned a "blind eye" as some of the students, including Felicia, took some i.v.'s home to practice on the brave or stupid. She confronted me with her real life practice problem and asked if I'd volunteer my hand to her for a minute. "Sure!" I don't mind needles. I get stuck by a 16 gauge needle twice a week for an hour at a time. A little 22 gauge needle won't be but a little prick. Right? Well the pictures below will tell the rest of the story. Just a little advice for anyone planning on sticking a needle in someone. Don't do it so slow that you can see your skin dimple before the needle break through. It feels really gross. Especially when it has a catheter attached.

Notice the paleness 

(zoom really close and you might see beads of sweat)

Best Friends

Several months ago I had a dream that to most would be just another odd or meaningless dream, but to me it left a big impression on my heart. Like most of my dreams it took place in Burley at our old Sandy Glen residence, but I, and everyone else, were the same age we are now. I had just bought a McLaren F1 which is an exotic sports car and use to be my all time favorite. I was not wealthy however, the car was just really old and banged up but I couldn't pass it up. I was overjoyed and brought it home with much excitement! A few of my friends passed by me on the lane and laughed and kept driving as they yelled out their window, "what a junker!" Slightly discouraged I pulled into the driveway and saw Dad working in the garage. He gave it a quick look and with a disappointed look on his face said, "not a wise purchase son" and went about his business. Now really disappointed in myself, I sat in my new, beat up childhood dream car and just stared at the steering-wheel. To add a little salt to the wound a couple of my sisters poked their heads in the window and asked if it was too late to take it back. Just about the time I was going to back out of the driveway Emily came out the front door. She looked at the car from the front porch and with a squeal of excitement she leaped in the air throwing her hands to the sky. She ran down the sidewalk with a giant smile on her face and said, "OH JOHN... YOU GOT ONE!" As she stuck her head in the passenger side window she asked me where I had found it and oohed and ahhed as her eyes scanned the interior. At that moment all my sorrows went away and it was all suddenly worth it.

I woke up from that dream with tears in my eyes as I realized one of my best friends was going to be moving to Atlanta, GA in just a couple of days. That dream represented my relationship with Emily in so many ways. Just as in my dream Emily possesses a quality that few others do. She has always been able to share excitement for other's joys and make you feel like you are the most important person in her life. Besides some heavenly beings (my wife included) there is probably no one else who knows me as well as she does. No one else would have really known just how much I loved that car or even the name of it for that matter. She has always taken an interest in my interests and set her life aside to listen about mine. There is usually no one else I'd rather talk to than my younger sister. I love her so much and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY on her very special 25th (which is my lucky number)!

I love you Em!

"Mind Diet"

During my time as a university student I have spent a great deal of time and effort in strengthening not only my mind but also my body. As some of you may know I spend a good deal of time at the gym, sometimes more than I should when it's basketball season. I am constantly trying to make gains by one-upping myself. One more rep, one more pound, one more set. Over the years I think I have gained a certain knowledge about exercising that only comes with experience. One bit of knowledge I have gained is the grand importance of diet. So many underestimate the importance of healthy eating. The mentality is usually "figure out how much weight will kill me then cut it back a little, then drink this stuff." To make significant gains takes time and consistency, neither of which do a whole lot of people want to commit to.
Something more important that I've come to discover is how much our brians work and grow the same way our muscles do. Have you ever worked out so hard you hurt the next day and LOVED IT! I crave that. That's happened to me several times while studying for finals. My mind hurts and I become addicted to studying. The more we study, the more we understand but without consistency, our recollection weakens. Our brain suffers from knowledge atrophy just as our muscles do when we don't use them. "Bigger, stronger, faster" goes along with athlete and genius alike. Both are constantly training what they want to improve whether it be lap time or understanding.
Now something even more important that I am trying to put more emphasis on is what I'm thinking about. It's actually one of my goals right now. My wife has been such a huge example to me of mental conditioning. I know I am a man of few words and don't contribute much to social gatherings but I do have thoughts and questions going through my mind.... most of the time. Felicia has told me on several occasions that when she's not thinking about what she's learning at school, she's thinking about religion. She's not much of a social butterfly either but if you ever get the chance to get inside her head a little you'll find that she doesn't waist any of her hard drive on unimportant garbage. She's not interested in gossip, who was in what movie, types of cars, or who got voted off American Idol. You'll have to ask me if you have any questions of that sort. She can explain to you how a certain disease works, the order of the rainbow, explain the solution to a math problem she hasn't seen in years, tell you what Dr. Chung taught us about a certain something in Human Anatomy two years ago, or explain to you cell biology, which she first learned while reading in the back seat of her parents car on a family vacation at age 9. Her key to remembering.... she's always thinking about it.
While watching again the movie "A Beautiful Mind", one of her favorites, the star of the show explains how he copes with his schizophrenia. He said he has to block out certain thoughts and images. A diet for the mind. It made me think of my patriarticle blessing which says to "raise my thoughts to high levels of spirituality". It will greatly help me control the all aspects of my life. I waist so much time thinking about pointless garbage. The reason I have a high percentage of being able to identify a car solely based on it's headlights glaring in my rearview mirror at night is because I like to study and think about cars. Now to be able to not only live worthy to have the constant companionship of the spirit but to be able to recognize it and heed it's promptings. I will have to strive to raise my thoughts to new heights, ponder what I study in the scriptures, what I learn at church, what is said in conference, and what I hear my wife, family, and leaders ask of me. Elder Neil A. Maxwell once said while talking on faith, patience, and being in control of our lives, "The Lord twice said: 'And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life' (D&C 101: 38, Luke 21:19) Could it be that only when our self-control has become total do we come into true possession of our own souls?" I believe our minds are the key to unlocking many doors and to gaining understanding and control of our lives. We must first be in control of what goes in and what we spend our time thinking about. So I'm on a mind diet.

Ben Lomond Peak

Chay and I recently went on a fall ride to the top of Ben Lomond Peak. The conditions were perfect! The air was brisk, the ground was moist (which = no dust), and the leaves were turning. We were just about the only ones up there. It was one of those trips I was glad I had a bike (thanks Scottie) and a good friend who also had one. You just cant experience that stuff the same way in a car or on foot. I'm one lucky guy to have the means, a beautiful location, and a life-long best friend to enjoy an afternoon as much as I did. What a place we live in! You can put that on the list of things to do Scott L. It is accessible with four wheel drive.

New Home Sweet Home

Okay, here I am. As most of you know Felicia and I got to move three times this past summer. That's right, three. Every move was a blessing. You've probably all heard the story so in a nut shell, Felicia and I were on the verge of having very little to no work at all so we had to act fast as our rent was going to eat up all our money. So we moved in with Mom and Dad for six weeks and it was really nice, it was. It's just better to not live with anyone if you're married, I found that out. We were not chosen for an apartment management job we were hoping for and had to make a quick decision on a place to live, including find that place. We did in a matter of two hours on a saturday. Rent was cheap, the place would do, and I borrowed a gun from Dad and kept it under my bed. Okay, so the gun part wasn't so good. The reason for and the item itself made Felicia uneasy. We slept there for one night, went to the Browning's for two, and then slept one last night there. We had finally received the long awaited call from subsidized housing that a place was available immediately. The unit we moved into was the very, former unit of the people who beat us out of the apartment management job. We moved in the weekend before school. Just in time! I will have to brag because I'd feel I wasn't giving credit for our huge blessing that is helping us out so much. Our rent is $68 a month, utilities included. BAM! In the words of Mike Landrum, "you can't rent a gameboy for that cheap". We couldn't be more happy with it and with out neighbors, which mostly consists of fellow ward members. It was nothing short of a miracle to much prayer and fast. Come and visit. We have a spare bedroom. You'll have to bring your own bed though.

This post is simply to promise a real one real soon.  ;)

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Geneology - Family history sites

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Pedigree charts - Family tree template

One Year Later

A year and a month ago I was living at Aunt Janet's home to get away from too much congestion.  Too many peoples thoughts, concerns, and emotions had my head cluttered and my heart confused.  I needed time and I needed space.  Felicia so happened to be staying there also and I'm sure that caused even more concern but a better environment I couldn't find.  There I was, with a quiet house, a beautiful, tranquil yard, relatives who just wanted to listen and feed me, and the one other person on earth I needed by my side.  I spent most of my time pondering my past, present, and where I wanted my life to be.  

 

After a long terrible day of mixed feelings, I got on my knees and pleaded for an answer.  I'd prayed countless times before  in searched for guidance but the Lord knew I was at the end of my rope.  I opened my frustrated and teary eyes and picked up a book I had been reading.  I flipped to a random page and read a highlighted quote that said, "Don't pray so much to have what you'll love, pray to love what you have."           

Felicia and I celebrated our one year anniversary this sunday.  Can you believe that it's been a year already!  Time sure flies by when you're having fun with the one you love.  I remember being asked several times if I was nervous, scared, or anxious.  There's no doubt I had questions before making the decision to ask Felicia to be my wife but after I knew my answer, and I knew it, everything that followed just seemed natural.  I never felt home sick, or out of place in my new apartment and new life.  It was what I was suppose to be doing and my heart nor mind ever questioned again.  I love her so much!  

 

What a better way to celebrate your anniversary than to give a talk in church with your sweetheart.  Funny how things work out.  The Lord has never stopped answering my question.  

I'm going to attempt to attach our talks.  Felicia's is a must read.  Mine is a bit long but the last page or so has a funny story about how I fell in love with Felicia worth reading.  By the way, she did such a great job.  She had many people thank her and even got a hug from a touched lady in the ward.