Gunnar and Loosie.
Monday, September 22, 2008
We knew early on that Siera would beat to her own drummer. To this day she find the most outrageous outfits and wears them proudly.
Another reminder of how simple it was with just two little ones.
That is Kody as a puppy - I still miss him every day.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Jacob
Jake is 11 and quickly become a man. He likes sports and is really gravitating toward football right now - that apple didn't fall far from the tree. He likes playing football with friends, throwing the ball around the yard with dad and playing Madden '08 on the xBox.
This is my favorite pic of Jacob. It was on a pack trip we made to the back country of the Uintah mountains a few years ago. It was quite a hike for a little dude. He caught his first wild trout on that trip and experienced a violent thunderstorm near the tree line.
Logan
Logan is now 7 and still very much the baby of the family. He's a very nice boy with a soft heart, especially for his mom.
Logan loves toys and often plays by himself for hours with Legos or action figures.
Logan loves to tag along with dad and Jake on hunting and fishing trips. He especially loves grossing his sisters out with the spoils of the hunt.
Siera
A picture of Siera generally says it all. She is the life of every party and a precocious little thing. It is entirely likely that she will own the world someday.
This is my favorite pic of Siera - the little snow bunny. She has an infectious smile. There's a whole lotta life in that tiny child!Thursday, September 4, 2008
Politics today...
I am anxiously following the presidential race this year, though I have no interest in McCain or Obama becoming president. I am firmly in the 3rd party camp and believe there is little effectual difference between to two parties.
We are led to believe there are real differences, with volumes of rhetoric regarding health care, Iraq, the economy, abortion and guns. While there are differences between the parties on these points, neither cares to point out how far our country has faded from our Constitutional heritage. Big government ideals and huge spending abound on both sides of the aisle. We're sinking in debt, doing nothing to strengthen our borders and losing individual rights as each month passes. Enough already...
To my LDS friends and family - rethink your association with the republican party. They do not hold to the ideals of our faith. Nationally, the neocons have pursued a war in foreign lands. They have laid forth the argument that it's better to fight them over there, ignoring the security of our own land. Compare this tactic to those of the Book of Mormon. Captain Moroni fortified his own cities and did not pursue the Lamanites into their lands. To do so is folly.
Some of the republican leaders of our faith fair little better when analyzed through gospel principles. There is a strong movement among some local politicians to have our neighbors live by our standards - not of free will and choice, but by legislation. That seems to be the polar opposite of the central tenet of free agency, does it not? Our charge is to live like the Savior and love our neighbors, not to make them live like us through political might. President Hinkley spoke every general conference for years pleading with the saints to accept and love our non-LDS neighbors. Forcing LDS lifestyle conformance upon them runs counter to the prophet's edict. Think carefully about the people you vote for, both locally and nationally.
Malon Labe!
We are led to believe there are real differences, with volumes of rhetoric regarding health care, Iraq, the economy, abortion and guns. While there are differences between the parties on these points, neither cares to point out how far our country has faded from our Constitutional heritage. Big government ideals and huge spending abound on both sides of the aisle. We're sinking in debt, doing nothing to strengthen our borders and losing individual rights as each month passes. Enough already...
To my LDS friends and family - rethink your association with the republican party. They do not hold to the ideals of our faith. Nationally, the neocons have pursued a war in foreign lands. They have laid forth the argument that it's better to fight them over there, ignoring the security of our own land. Compare this tactic to those of the Book of Mormon. Captain Moroni fortified his own cities and did not pursue the Lamanites into their lands. To do so is folly.
Some of the republican leaders of our faith fair little better when analyzed through gospel principles. There is a strong movement among some local politicians to have our neighbors live by our standards - not of free will and choice, but by legislation. That seems to be the polar opposite of the central tenet of free agency, does it not? Our charge is to live like the Savior and love our neighbors, not to make them live like us through political might. President Hinkley spoke every general conference for years pleading with the saints to accept and love our non-LDS neighbors. Forcing LDS lifestyle conformance upon them runs counter to the prophet's edict. Think carefully about the people you vote for, both locally and nationally.
Malon Labe!
Favorite Books
East of Eden - John Steinbeck
A stunning and epic work - considered by the author to be better than his more famous Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck brilliantly retells the story of Cain and Able through different generations of the Trask family. This book alone holds several of my all-time favorite characters. Though a work of fiction, Samuel Hamilton stands as an everyday hero to me. There is a brief, but all-important analysis of the word timshel that encompasses the heart of Christian faith.
Blood Meridian - Cormick McCarthy
This is a profoundly dark book and I don't recommend it to many people because of this. The novel depicts scenes of violence that make readers recoil in revulsion, but McCarthy's brand of violence is not gratuitous and serves a greater purpose. Meridian explores the darkness of man as no other book I have read. McCarthy is positively lyrical in is description of landscapes. He also has a tremendous gift for dialog.
Suttree - Cormick McCarthy
Suttree is a better introduction to McCarthy. Critics describe him as a modern Faulkner. Suttree is a beautiful mix of humor and tragedy. For those not interested in a book of Suttree's length, The Road is a simpler, but genuine McCarthy work.
The Screwtape Letters - C. S. Lewis
Lewis had tremendous insight into the nature of God and the spiritual realm. Screwtape is an immensely enlightening story that tells of Satan's tactics against man as one of his minions tries to teach his nephew how to lead man from God.
No Country for Old Men - Cormick McCarthy
Yes, I am a McCarthy junkie. This book was also fantastic. McCarthy writes one of the all-time great villains, Anton Chigur. He is a positively brutal killer. The unobservant reader may believe the novel is about Chigur, so shocking and prominent is his role in the story. However, McCarthy's point is to be made by the old sheriff cleaning up Chigur's mess. The gravity of McCarthy's message in this book is real and has helped shape my own view of the world. This book is violent, but nothing compared to Blood Meridian.
I also love the short stories of Hemingway. I have a complete set of his short works and often find refuge there when I only have a few minutes to read. it is amazing how quickly I am drawn in to even the shortest of his stories. The balance and ambiguity of The Short and Happy Life of Francis McComber are complete. I have read the story dozens of times and am always amazed by its construct.
More on books later.....
A stunning and epic work - considered by the author to be better than his more famous Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck brilliantly retells the story of Cain and Able through different generations of the Trask family. This book alone holds several of my all-time favorite characters. Though a work of fiction, Samuel Hamilton stands as an everyday hero to me. There is a brief, but all-important analysis of the word timshel that encompasses the heart of Christian faith.
Blood Meridian - Cormick McCarthy
This is a profoundly dark book and I don't recommend it to many people because of this. The novel depicts scenes of violence that make readers recoil in revulsion, but McCarthy's brand of violence is not gratuitous and serves a greater purpose. Meridian explores the darkness of man as no other book I have read. McCarthy is positively lyrical in is description of landscapes. He also has a tremendous gift for dialog.
Suttree - Cormick McCarthy
Suttree is a better introduction to McCarthy. Critics describe him as a modern Faulkner. Suttree is a beautiful mix of humor and tragedy. For those not interested in a book of Suttree's length, The Road is a simpler, but genuine McCarthy work.
The Screwtape Letters - C. S. Lewis
Lewis had tremendous insight into the nature of God and the spiritual realm. Screwtape is an immensely enlightening story that tells of Satan's tactics against man as one of his minions tries to teach his nephew how to lead man from God.
No Country for Old Men - Cormick McCarthy
Yes, I am a McCarthy junkie. This book was also fantastic. McCarthy writes one of the all-time great villains, Anton Chigur. He is a positively brutal killer. The unobservant reader may believe the novel is about Chigur, so shocking and prominent is his role in the story. However, McCarthy's point is to be made by the old sheriff cleaning up Chigur's mess. The gravity of McCarthy's message in this book is real and has helped shape my own view of the world. This book is violent, but nothing compared to Blood Meridian.
I also love the short stories of Hemingway. I have a complete set of his short works and often find refuge there when I only have a few minutes to read. it is amazing how quickly I am drawn in to even the shortest of his stories. The balance and ambiguity of The Short and Happy Life of Francis McComber are complete. I have read the story dozens of times and am always amazed by its construct.
More on books later.....
This is my lovely wife, Tara. She'll be embarrassed I included this pic, but didn't I marry a hottie?
In all seriousness, I am very grateful to be married to this amazing woman. We are as different as night and day, but one is not well defined without the other.
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