Happy 61st Anniversary

Nephi, Cathie, Jan and I took Mom and Dad out for their annivesary. Dad wanted to go to his favorite restaurant north of St. Anthony, but they were closed. They decided to go and "Chiz Out."

We arrived just at the right time and were all able to sit together. The waitress made a big fuss over Dad and the fact they had been married so long. The food was great and the fact that Mom and Dad were able to see so many of their friends was even better.

Little Ninja

10 weeks and a day(in the picture). Sara will be due on Dec 17.

Memorial Day Fun Fest

It has always been a tradition to have an outside picnic at Grandma & Grandpa Shirleys house on Memorial Day. Crappy weather has also been a consistent tradition, complete with overcast skies which always seem to part in the west just as we began to eat. The trick is to sit with your back to the west so the sun doesn't glare you in the face. The meal consisted of hamburgers, lovingly prepared by Chef Ard on the new grill that we gave to Grandpa and Grandma for Christmas. There were the usual pickles, olives, chips, and lots of "tader salad." The meal started with everyone standing around trying not to get called on for the prayer, yet I have yet to see anyone turn the opportunity down. Grandma usually announces the need for the prayer for saying, "Who's going to take the curse off of this food for us." Sometimes she just says, "Shall we talk to the Lord about this food?"

Allison's kids, along with Chris' little ones had a great time with "The Bubble Machine." Jason and I went up on the house to adjust Grandpa's satellite dish and were surprised when some of the large bubbles floated up over the roof and came up on Jason from behind.

The evening ended with the usual jam session of Nephi, Stretch and myself playing guitars, Grandpa watching the Lakers play the Spurs, the kids playing outside, and the rest sitting around the bar with Grandma enjoying each other's conversation. Such is life in the fun lane.

Bird Brains

Part of my goals for the coming summer was to completely rebuild the shed, that is if something drastic doesn't get in the way. I have a rather sensitive detector that finds things that get in the way. The alarm went off when I went into the shed just as a robin came screaming past me through the door at stealth speed. Then I noticed it: A carefully built next along the back wall.

Peering inside I could a single light-blue egg. Well, there you go. It appears I will have to reschedule my summer projects, because obviously, something drastic got in the way.

It seems that my encounters witht he fine feathered friends was not to end so easily. We went to he cemetery on Memorial Day and there among the stones on Kinghorn Hill sitting quietly and rather motionless, was an owl. We couldn't tell whether it was a baby or if it was injured, but it just sat there. It's head would follow you around behind, but the body remained still. Ard took a small twig and gently placed it on the head of the owl and it tried to bite it, but then went back to sittng silently.

We decided to leave it alone to its own devices. After all, it might have simply been resting. Who knows? We did happen to notice a large red-tailed hawk soaring above the cemetery over above the Shirley Section. Perhaps the owl was smarter than we thought. It was the first time I had seen so much wildlife in a place people were dying to get into.

Indiana 'Alan' and the Last Crusade

In anticipation for the upcoming Indiana Jones movie, I thought I'd post a picture of Alan and I when we went on a trip across Europe in our crusade for the Holy Grail. We had a great time battling Nazis, shooting natives, and following all the clues. It sucked when I got shot though, but luckily Alan was 'penitent' and chose wisely, which inevitably cured my gunshot wound. Thanks Alan!

Gone fishin', again

How do you like my tan? I must work out. By the way, the Jazz season ended again in disappointment, and although the Jazz were on national t.v., I doubt anyone in the family was even aware there were games being played. Yes, the Jazz had their moments, and I was there for some great ones, but another season was unceremoniously flushed down the toilet Friday night thanks to a lackluster effort with little to no sense of urgency or passion. So my flag, towel, jerseys, warmups, and anything else Jazz related will go back into storage (unless Ash throws them out) where they'll wait until November when the dream will begin anew. Meanwhile, the Jazz players and I will have plenty of time to do some fishing this year to see how in the world we can bring a title to Utah. These will be some good times.

The 'Blake' Pearl

Yes, Brandon, there are several things wrong with this picture, but for the most part it's accurate. After Claire's baptism, Blake and Claire floated off into the sunset aboard the Black Pearl, complete with his eyepatch, pegleg, his trusty parrot 'April Fool', and his love for the wide open seas of the Caribbean.

Spring has sprung, kind of

Hey, children of the same motha and children from anotha motha, Happy Mother's Day and spring! We finally have leaves on the trees, green grass and tulips blooming. However I was over buying my flowers at M&M Greenhouse on Friday and the rain turned to snow while I was there, that was crazy! Brett & Tara and Stella came up this weekend to help celebrate with us. We went to Porters, naturally, and then to dinner and a movie. The guys went to Iron Man and Tara & I went to Made of Honor which was the ultimate chick flick but we loved it. Michell Monahagn is adorable in it, so go see it. Also big news, Claire was baptized on Saturday, so big congratulations to her. Picture this, Blake has a bad eye infection and the doctor put an eye patch on him Saturday morning, so here he is baptizing Claire with an eye patch and his glasses over that! A baptism to remember! Jeff & Ashleigh went over to Melzer's for Mother's Day supper, and here's the question of the day. . . Jazz game. . . church. . .jazz game.. . church, hmmm, what to do. Guess what Jeff chose! Our little Jeffie is finally growing up! I'm sure he will now not go to hell for that one act alone. Brandon finally got Anna & Granty home so he's not so lonely. He starts his new job at the Dept of Immigration in Indy. He is very excited, good luck! Jason & Sara finally put some posts on their blog so it was good to see their new apartment. They are doing well and Sara is handling the morning sickness a little better. Jason is putting in some long hours doing the real estate thing so we all wish him the best. For those of you who don't know, we bought a home in foreclosure two weeks ago. It is on 1st South, across from the Napa Auto Parts store. We got a fantastic deal on it and hope to clean it up and resell it. It's been an exciting process. Dad is doing well, tying up the loose ends at school before it closes down for the summer. He is having a going away party at the school the last day of school, to which he really doesn't want to go, but I'm forcing him. His staff really does love him and he turned that school around, so much kudos to dad. Grandma & Grandpa Shirley are celebrated their 61st anniversary on Saturday. Us and Neal and Cath are taking them out for dinner tomorrow night at the Relay Station. That's about all the celebrating they cand stand. Grandpa K is doing quite well. He has a new alarm system that he wears around his neck for when he falls. I felt so bad today, because I had just hung up the phone from him and he went out to the garage and tripped over a rug and fell. He pushed his button, but when they called me to report it, I told them not to worry about it because he was on his way out here for dinner. I felt horrible, but he was able to finally get up. That won't happen again! Otherwise we are all dine & fandy and doing well. Cash also wants everyone to know that he's doing well and hasn't seized up all winter. He's getting a little slower though and can't jump up on my bed anymore, which is probably a good thing but it makes me sad. So that is all, say prayers for each other and us, we certainly need it. You are all the greatest and we love you just sa much. Have a great week! Love, Ma & Pa

Favorite "Mom"eries

I thought I'd throw out a Mother's Day post. I'll call it, mom always knew what was best for me. One Sunday morning, I went into the bathroom and pretended to throw up in the toilet to get out of church. I even slapped the water with my hand for realistic effect. Mom told me to go to church and come home if I wasn't feeling better. That was generally the response I got each time I tried to "fake sick." When I look back, I only now see how close I was to taking the path that led to living in a trailer in the Cook's trailer park. Mom, I commend you for your foresight-you always knew what was best for me. Love, Brandon. I don't think it would be fair to Mom to point out just one memory (this is Jeff by the way) so mine is kind of a collection of a few that stand out. I'll always remember the times that I would tell her to turn the light off in the utility room until I went to sleep, so I wouldn't be scared (she always did, without fail). There were also the times when I would tell her to make sure the window was shut after I went to sleep so I wouldn't get too cold at night, and she always came through for me here, as well. I also remember the times I would get picked up from school while I was at the Junior High. I loved the chance I had to meet her at the library and go shopping with her. She would always buy me a treat and I was so happy I could spend time with her (and to avoid riding the hour long bus ride home). My most fond memory though, is not one of my favorites though, it was when I left for the MTC, and I realized I wouldn't be around her anymore. It kind if hit me really hard, that I would be out on my own and wouldn't have her to lean on anymore, to cook, clean, and care for me, and that wasn't something I want to relive. I realized how much she cared for me and loved me, and how hard it was going to be for her to let me go. I remember looking at her and just seeing how much we were each going to miss each other...and that's all I have to say about that. Happy Mother's Day! Jeff

Workin it!

Well I had an awesome time this last week. My brother-in-law Aaron and I managed to pass out around 3300 flyers. All of which we put on cars in lots I later found out we weren't supposed to. We also ran a Kiosk in the mall all day wednesday and then again on thursday night. It was pretty fun. We talked to a ton of people and got a ton of leads from it. Friday and Saturday we had an all day seminar both days showing any of our guests what we teach down at our college. It was so much information I was eating it up. I also maneged to talk someone in to partnering with me on a few deals that I hope to put together this next week! I can't wait. The seminar went awesome! 80 guests were present and 60 signed up after just one day! It was really powerful stuff. I just wish we had more people there then we did. This next week will be a crazy one. I went to the couty recorder office and wrote down all of the addresses for people going in to foreclosure last week. I plan on knocking every one of these doors and seeing if there is anything we can do to help them out. I am a little apprehensive but I know I will see a lot of good come from it. I will keep you all posted. So there you all have it. This is what we are up to over here in Boise. If any of you ever feel like visiting we have room for ya. We love you all!