AntSlice

Super Thin!

2008-09-23T21:25:00.001-06:00

Super Thin versus Marshmallow Man!

The kids and I made this video a couple of years back...pretty fun.

My tuff sistur

2008-09-23T20:58:00.003-06:00

Tina break wood!

Watch out wood!

Memories of Grandpa Alley

2008-09-23T20:49:00.000-06:00

Grandpa Alley with Matthew

Tanner hates peas!!

2008-09-23T20:29:00.003-06:00

This is when Tanner first tried peas...it makes me laugh every time! And the look he gives mom afterwards is just priceless!

Sorry about the poor quality!

The Motorcycle Brotherhood

2008-09-21T21:13:00.004-06:00

I've noticed that riding around on a motorcycle has changed in the last 13 years. I remember when I rode around on my old 150cc scooter down in NM, AZ, and UT that most fellow riders would give a friendly wave as they rode by. At first it caught me off guard, and since I felt a little intimidated by the larger bikes and fancier attire of the riders, I didn't get in to the "wave to the other rider" thing. But as I rode more and more, I found that motorbike riders were just a happier lot, and they couldn't just keep the joy of being out on a bike stuffed inside. You just had to let it out by acknowledging other riders who were experiencing the same thrill of the open road. It felt like you were suddenly initiated into a fraternal order of people who all knew this one secret...driving around inside a tin can sucks and motorcycles are awesome!

For some reason, things are a little different now. I was without a bike for about 6-7 years and I was very excited to get back into it. But now when I ride around it seems like you hardly ever get the "wave from the other riders." It seems like our fraternity was taken over by a bunch of snobs. Attorneys and doctors who put down tens of thousands of dollars on a bike and gear and then go looking for something they lost somewhere. Maybe I'm not seeing it accurately...I really hope I'm not, but for some reason it seems that riders today just don't share the same connection I felt when I first started riding. The love of the ride has been replaced by the show. The freedom has been usurped by the parade. Very sad.

Evidence of a 21 month old

2008-09-13T22:01:00.002-06:00

My sister Cami was walking by our SUV at our family reunion and something caught her eye. I saw her looking at the truck and asked her what she was looking at. Apparently Kennady had been eating some Oreos and only wanted the guts. I'm not sure why she organized the crusts the way she did. She is somewhat particular about certain things. Cami thought it was pretty funny.

New Dog

2008-09-13T21:53:00.004-06:00

Oh! I almost forgot! We (well, Mornie and the kids) got a new dog. No, I'm not living somewhere else, but the deal is that Dad (me) doesn't have to do anything for the dog (except finance the endeavor). His name is Jeeves and he's called a Jack-a-poo (half Jack Russell Terrier, half mini Poodle).

Here's a shot of him tearing a killer whale to pieces.

Soccer mania!

2008-09-13T21:44:00.003-06:00

Well, today both Tanner and Taylor's teams did very well. Tanner even scored a goal which was very exciting for him. Other news of interest is that Mornie is now teaching down at BYU four days a week. She goes down after the kids go to school and returns before they get out so it works out pretty well. I'm the new Cubscout Committee Chair for our Pack and that's been fun as well.

Finally, here is a picture of our new patio that we put in this summer!

Taylor's Happy Birthday for Daddy

2008-04-27T18:15:00.001-06:00

My amazing kids

2008-04-26T17:39:00.005-06:00

Sometimes you just gotta brag...so here it is. I've got three kids who are absolutely amazing...and as evidence, I offer the following:

Here is Kennady playing "Fur Elise" by ear

Here is Tanner after winning it all at the Pinewood Derby Worldwide Championships in Pittsburg.

And here's Taylor after she won the US on-line spelling bee for elementary aged kids:

Moved office

2008-03-30T22:16:00.002-06:00

We moved the office down to our spare bedroom in the basement so all the kids can have their own room. Here's the layout...there's an application on the RCWilley website that you can use to see how everything will look beforehand.

Snowman Wrestlin'

2008-03-23T22:41:00.000-06:00

DRZ 400S

2008-03-23T21:50:00.002-06:00

Isn't she beautiful? Spring is in the air!

Surprise under the counter

2008-03-23T21:40:00.003-06:00

I'm on a posting frenzy!!!

Here's a picture of Kennady who thinks that everything in our house is some sort of physical challenge on Survivor. Crazy kid!

Science Fair Victory

2008-03-23T21:35:00.004-06:00

Tanner was in the science fair at school with an entry titled, "Who sneezed on the Cheese." He tested the rate of mold growth on three different chunks of cheese...dry, wet with water, and wet with spit (Tanner's particular brand of spit). We took pictures every night for a month and I created a little movie showing the cheese decaying over time and he made some board titles and we put it all together the night before and...he won!!! It was the same day as our ski trip and so Tanner thought that it was the best day of his life...funny kid. We were very proud of him though...won a medal and everything!

Hit the slopes!

2008-03-23T21:26:00.002-06:00

I took Tanner skiing several weeks back up at Brighton and he surprised me...he was really good at it. They had a deal at Murray City for passes, rentals and a lesson for night skiing so we decided to do it. It has been 10 years since I last went when Mornie and I were first married and so I had to rent as well since my gear is somewhat outdated. I did where my old one piece ski suit even though it was a little snug (I've put on about 5-10 pounds since then). I thought that it wouldn't be out of style or anything but the guy at the rental shop said, "Nice one piece," and he was serious! I guess they are coming 'back' in now!! Sheesh! Nothing like that to make you feel old. I don't think I'll be able to wear it again though because it's too tight and I feel like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever when I'm wearing it.

Cost of the War in Iraq

2008-01-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

###
Iraq War Cost

If you would like to see how much it has cost your state or your community then visit this site: How much is my hometown spending?

I rather enjoyed seeing that my state could have spent the money rebuilding some of our deteriorating infrastructure...but why do that when we can go bomb someone elses and then try to rebuild theirs while they shoot at us!!

Podcasts

2008-01-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that podcasts rock!

I love to download a bunch so that on my 45 min. commute to work and back each day I can plug in to something other than breathless talk radio personalities who sound just as overly excited about the news as they do with the latest product they are peddling. Or you have the option to listen to a song or two before wading through a slew of radio spots for exiting investment opportunities or having a serviceman come look at my furnace because the weather is changing.

Anyway, so now I get to be in charge of my drive time listening and it's awesome. The latest podcast that I listened to was a guy talking about his search for increased spiritual awareness. Now, I know what you are thinking...YOU'RE AN ATHEIST! Why are you listening to this stuff! True, it may seem that this would be a strange topic but atheism doesn't mean anti-spiritualism...I am very skeptical of spirituality it is true, but in the end we are all seeking to be part of something bigger than ourselves, wanting to become the best individual that we can, and hope for a better life...that's spirituality!

Anyway, this guy was raised Catholic, converted to Mormonism in college, taught institute, was an institute director, and then was an Air Force Chaplain for many years. He talked about when he had first joined the LDS Church in college, he had imagined where he would be spiritually in 30 years, but that even after years and years of making religion his business, he still hadn't achieved the level of spiritual growth he had expected. He said that he had made significant improvements in his personality and character but he was still too impatient and in general just didn't have the connection with the divine and the important people in his life to the level he felt he should.

It was at this time that he developed a significant problem with his neck and back that made it difficult for him to concentrate or even relax due to pain and bit by bit, he felt his spirit sag and it became increasingly difficult for him to even maintain the level of spirituality that he had achieved over a lifetime of service and devotion. Then he stumbled onto something that really helped his pain...meditation and relaxation through Yoga. When he began it was helpful to just have 5 minutes a day during which he felt "normal." But as he developed his ability to have better control over his thought patters, he was able to get up to 20 minutes of meditation a day, and the pain he was experiencing on a daily basis began to subside.

He also noticed something different as he gained a greater control over his thought processes, he was able to clear his mind and open himself up to greater spiritual and personal awareness. As he stopped allowing his mind to race after the worries of the day, he was able to reestablish a connection with his surroundings that he had lost due to the distractions of an unbridled mind. He began to have new insights in his scripture studies on a more frequent basis because he could focus better and at the same time have much clearer thoughts that could expand his understanding on what he was currently engaged in. This also extended to his personal interactions with his children and his wife.

This struck home with me because it is really so easy to fall into the trap of having one's thoughts so caught up in the concerns of work, unpaid bills, traffic, current events, irritating celebrities constantly receiving news coverage, etc. that the truly important and fulfilling aspects of our lives can be lost in the screaming noise of everything else around us. We only half listen to people we are talking to rather than allowing ourselves to be lost in their world for a moment, we just glance at a beautiful sunset rather than drinking it in and allowing it to swell our hearts, we live our lives in a race with all the other rats rather than taking advantage of our one shot at this human experience.

I don't necessarily think that Yoga is the answer...I believe that it was the vehicle for this particular man but that there are many different roads to this type of deep self awareness and liberation. I would like to achieve something similar, however, and bring back the clarity and excitement of life that existed before being an important man somehow became something to reach for.

Posting by email

2008-01-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

So does this really work?

Cool! I can post from anywhere in the world!!! Buwhahaha!! The power! The elation!

My first post

2008-01-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

Tina inspired me to set this up...but don't expect me to have as much material in here as she does!

Here is one of my favorite pics of the kids in Snowman wrestling! They were goofing around one day and wearing their coat liners on their legs so Dad thought...why don't we stuff some pillows in there and see what happens? Now you know.