Frosty

The snow fell this morning and was really, really sticky. It didn't take long for Olivia to start asking if she could go play in it. When Lisa and I were done shoveling (she'd rather shovel with me than do dishes...saving me the dishes to do later) we assisted with the making of our own little frosty. Frosty sported (yes...he did melt) rock eyes, nose, and pine-tree needle mouth and rock-star hair.

Gingerbread Houses

I went to pack meeting last night and for the activity we had the cubs make gingerbread houses (really not gingerbread -- but graham crackers). It was actually a pretty big hit. As we cleaned up, Sister Evans prodded me to take the extra stuff home for Olivia and JJ to make. At first I declined but then thought that eventually Lisa and her would talk and then I'd be in trouble. The next night we sat down and helped the kids make them. They spent the next few days eating them but eventually they made it in the trash. JJ really enjoyed it.

Neighborhood Xmas Party

Our neighborhood decided years ago that instead of giving anybody neighbor gifts (who really likes them anyways -- tacky plates, dry cookies, etc.) that we would gather in a circle, share a pot-luck dessert with hot chocolate and give canned-food to the local shelter instead of neighbor gifts. I think this is a great idea and is one of the reasons I don't think we'll ever move from here. Santa (aka. Kevin Cowan) came and sat patiently with every kid in the neighborhood. It was a bit chilly but the five or six fires they had going kept us warm.

1st Snowman of the Season

This was the first snowman of the season. Olivia and our neighbors (Isaac & Jonah) helped her make it. JJ had gone inside so his snow suit was taken and used for Frosty. I came home from work and pulled in the circle to find him sitting there. I ran inside and grabbed the camera before somebody could use him for karate practice.

First Day at Work

So it was my first day at work. It really wasn't too exciting but free of drama. I got there at 6:30 a.m. (to make sure I wasn't late) and at 7 a.m. got my shiny new badge with a spectacular picture of yours truly on it. I was there with about nine other new employees and sat through new employee orientation for about two hours.

My manager and lead picked me up from the orientation and showed me my new digs (a small cubie --without granite counters :( ) and then walked me around introducing me to the other project managers. I then worked on starting to setup my office computer, desk, etc.

The manager and lead then took me out to lunch at the Gateway. That was a pleasant surprise and gave us time to talk about expectations, the job, etc. I then spent the afternoon working through a bunch of HR modules that teach and test you on things such as Diversity, Drugs, Security, etc. I'm about half way through them. I also went to an hour long meeting to see what it will be like once I'm a full-blown project manager and reporting to senior management.

All in all it was a really good day and it seemed to fly right by. All the people I met were really nice and willing to help me learn my position. There wasn't an ounce of "drama" which made me feel so good not to have to deal with all the bologna that seemed to occur at Legacy. I'm happy with the decision we made to stay here in Utah and I'm confident I've finally found a good home for me. It was pretty common to hear people reply to your question of tenure with 22 years, 30 years, etc. That speaks volumes about the company alone.

Olivia's Losses First Tooth

Olivia lost her first tooth. The two lower teeth were starting to feel a little loose but were far from being ready. Lisa picked Olivia up from preschool and Livi proudly showed mom her tooth was gone and was now in her pocket. Lisa and I were very shocked. It turns our Livi was playing "doggie" and was eating dinner (a plastic toy of sorts) and another girl came and yanked the toy out of her mouth and plop came the tooth. I asked Olivia if she cried and she said no. "It wasn't that bad," she said.

New Career

Today I closed and chapter in my career at Legacy Granite by accepting employment at L-3 Communications.

L-3 is a government contractor that specializes in communications links between ship to shore, aircraft to ground, etc. I will be an operations project manager. I officially start November 26th. I will miss everyone at Legacy Granite but really can't say that I will really miss the job all that much. I will give you more updates and details as we get closer.

North Family Visits

Friday evening the North family (Andy, Meghan, Luke & Rylan) came to visit from Henderson, NV. We spent the evening playing games and visiting. The kids did really well playing together.

Andy raced in the Logan "Top of Utah" marathon Saturday morning. We met him at the end of the race. After fearing that we had missed him, he came across the finish line...really tired...and really smelly. It seems that he aged about 35 years during the race and I'm sure he's still feeling the effects.

We went back home, had a Cafe Rio for lunch, rested a bit, and went back to playing games. It was a really fun visit.

Here's some pics of Andy. Way to go Andy..

Utah State Fair 2007

Last week we continued the tradition of going to the Utah State Fair with our friends the Workmans. This year they finally had Faith (they in the adoption process during last year's fair) to push around with them. We ate lots of good, but otherwise very unhealthy food, walked around and watched the rodeo. My favorite was the mutton-bustin' which I vow to train JJ for and have him enter in the years to come.

Family History Tour

Lisa and I just didn't make it up in time for church. Itching to get out of the house for the day, I decided we'd take a family history tour down to Manti where my dad was born and raised. Here's a few pictures...

The munchies. Notice how many cookies JJ can hold.

Manti Temple.


Grandpa & Grandma (Lionel & Alice) King's home. I remember the playing on the manicured lawn for hours and hours. It looks like it pretty much went south. Notice the barn that was torn down and the new home that's being built. The original property line went to that power pole. The chicken coup is still there behind the new house.

Some headstones...

Kelly's Grandparents (Marion Lionel & Alice Smyth)


Kelly's Great Grandparents (Jane Marie Antionette Snow & Marion King)


Kelly's Great Grandparents (Frederick Duncan Smyth & Mary Verona Cox)


Kelly's Great-Great Grandfather (Adam Craik Smyth) Famous for Joseph Smith's First Prayer "Oh how lovely was the morning"

And lastly...pictures of the farms (three). I was amazed that the sheds that Grandpa King built still look like the day that we left them. The same goes for the fences too. He built things to last. I'll have to have dad's help naming them. I remember one was Ottisons, Halversons, and...




Notice the water from this natural spring is still running after all these years.

Eventful Sealing Assignment

Lisa and I went to fulfill a temple sealing assignment yesterday evening at the Bountiful Temple. As we were changing clothes all the power shut down. The emergency lights came on but that was about it. All the little old temple workers said this was the first time for them without power. There were no storms outside or anything. It sounds like they had a backup generator to finish the session in progress but didn't start any new sessions.

Since the sealing rooms are on the perimeter we went ahead and performed the sealings with the natural light from the window. It was pretty warm and I wiped my brow several times. The power finally came back in the last 5 minutes. I reflected on what it must have been like for the pioneers in the Kirkland and Nauvoo temples.

Eden Balloon Festival

It was a really, really early morning but we managed to get us and the kids up to see the Ogden Valley Balloon Festival in Eden, Utah (by Pineview Resevoir). We went to my coworker's (Brent Spencer) family house across the street, sat on the lawn, and ate donuts and watched the balloons launch. Here's some pics.

Ahh..Joys of Parenthood

So we woke up this morning as usual to JJ's crys for his morning 8 oz. bottle of thick, creamy whole milk. Just as usual, he downed his bottle but then unexpectantly started vomiting all over our bed, pillows, blankets and us. I ran and grabbed towels and the fun began.

Lisa put JJ in the tub for a quick bath. His humor returned when he farted or "bippled" as Lisa's family would say. Because I reacted previously to this antic, he squeezed even harder and then crapped in the tub. Oops. My bad. I got him ready and Lisa was nice to clean up the tub.

Later in the evening, we picked up Olivia from our neighbor's house and went to grab a $5 pizza (we're cheap). We made sure to grab plenty of towels for JJ just in case, but just as we were entering the neighborhood, Olivia commences to vomit all over the interior of our new car. I'm taking a deep breath now. Lisa quickly snatched the towel from JJ and held Olivia's mouth with it until her tummy ordered a cease fire. That wasn't until she managed to shoot the seat, inside the seat belt buckle(yuck), carpet and inside the toy bucket.

The good news was that we were able to thow away those pesky McDonald's toys since they weren't worth cleaning. Maybe it was worth it? Do any of you have vomit comet stories?

Crown for the King

I went to the dentist for my new crown. It was an amazing experience. I hate going to the dentist and just dreaded the thought of my tooth getting ground down to a post, etc. They first cleaned my teeth (impeccable gums!) and then numbed me up with three shots. He started grinding away and it wasn't quite there. He then added four additional shots and then made it through just fine. The dentist put a camera in my mouth and took shots of my tooth and the two surrounding teeth and then imported them into a computer he had right there in the room. After a few minutes of thinking it showed a 3-d image of everything and suggested the crown to be placed. He tweaked it a bit to match the upper tooth and then sent the tooth to the little CNC machine. It had two little heads that took a porcelain block and shaped the tooth. After a few last touches by hand he installed my permanent crown. I drove home somewhat worried about the pain so I took 800 mg. of ibuprofen but never had any pain since. It's so nice to be able to eat without pain from my cracked tooth. It's amazing how technology blesses us. Thanks Dr. Fullmer. (shameless plug)

My Apologies

I promise not to be such a putts and start posting more regularly. I actually have a lot more posts since the beginning of the year that I'll go back and take care of here shortly. Make sure to scroll down periodically as far at November 2006 because you may miss something that I've squeezed in there. I'll try to keep things in chronological order so things don't get confusing. Please accept my apologies.

Arizona Trip -- Day 8

The last day of the trip has arrived. We split from the caravan and made a detour to Joseph City, AZ to see cousin Janet and her family. It's been since 1988 since we last saw each other. We enjoyed our visit and then hit the road to play catch-up with the caravan. It didn't take long and we were back together again. We stopped in Monticello, UT (we took the back roads to avoid the fires and possible closures of I-15) for lunch and saw the temple. We snapped a few photos along the way. We finally arrived home at around 9:30 p.m. While we were gone our windows were installed! It was nice to finally be home.

Arizona Trip -- Day 7

Our last full day at the condos. After some interesting family photos (I believe the adults grew more frustrated than the children) we pretty much hung out for the day, did a little shopping with Becca, and enjoyed one last round of swimming and relaxation.

Arizona Trip -- Day 6

We went to the local "Family Fun Park" which was basically go-carts and miniture golf. We pretty much spent the rest of our vacation money on the go-carts but had a blast. Even Olivia got to drive her own go-cart. The kids decided miniature golf wasn't their cup of tea after discovering how fun the go-carts were. I didn't blame them.

Arizona Trip -- Day 5

We went to Snowflake Arizona today to tour the local church history sites. There are several homes the pioneers built and the local chamber of commerce led us on a tour of all of them. We also drove to the Snowflake Temple (We discovered our long-lost Uncle Harry in the family picture at the temple above us -- Hello Uncle Harry -- thanks for ruining our family picture!!!)and then ate lunch at the park. Grandma Strong treated us to ice cream after lunch. We went back to the condos and then out to Pizza in Show Low. (Only 1 u-turn for us today.) Swimming and Ping-Pong followed...of course.