This is Jimmer in the car on our way to Tommy's baby blessing tomorrow (David and Lindsay's baby) in Boise. It's Jimmer's first time out of the state. He's done really well for his first car trip. Man I love this kid. I've been thinking a little bit lately about happiness. I've defintely had my fair share of happy times in my life, but it's amazing how happy and neat it is to be a dad. Ya know the feeling ya have at 5:00 on the Friday before a Christmas weekend? That's the feeling I have all the time when I'm home from work and can just be with Emmy and Jimmer. It's so awesome and special being a dad.

Revenge of the Bobby Pin

As I was breaking a bobby pin the other day it fought back and cut me.

Holy cow it's been a long time since I updated my blog...more than a month. So much has happened since then: Carrie and Bret's wedding, Skyler and Rebekah's wedding, dropped Dallas off at the MTC, moved back home, so much!

First thing's first. I ran into Elder Brad Jones the other day. I shot him in the squirt gun war last year and now he's serving here. I went up to him after Stake Conference and put my finger to his back. Fun times. Oh yeah! So we were waiting outside the Temple in San Diego for Skybekah to come out and Christy Witt showed up! She must have been there with some friends. We smiled at each other and then went our separate ways. We kinda butted heads last year in the squirt gun war...haha.

My first Monday back here there was an incredible storm with so much thunder and lightning. Half of CB was out of power. At the end of FHE we watched the lightning show from the church, it was amazing. I forgot how awesome the storms are here. The other night it was raining really bad, so I went and jumped on the trampoline. Good times. It's been a lot of fun being back. It's sweet being with the fam, catching up with old friends, enjoying the Midwest weather again, and eating a TON! My mom wanted to fatten me up after I lost weight in Uganda and I think I'll for sure get it back. If I wasn't training for a marathon right now I'd probably put on 10 or 15 extra pounds. My bro and sis's have been complaining that I eat everything...it'll be hard going back to an empty refrigerator in Provo.

Our stake got a singles ward about a month ago and it is so much fun! I'm really surprised at how many people I don't know here. There's only a handful of people I know from before. Monday's we have FHE then basketball, Tuesday is movie night, Wednesday is game night, Thursday is Institute then volleyball and we've all hung out the last couple of weekends. We went to the zoo on labor day and have played a couple games of werewolves. I'm hoping it can be the type of atmosphere where it's really fun and people feel comfortable with bringing their friends. Probably the coolest part about the ward is trying to get it going. It's a real challenge to get people coming and the branch president is really relying on us to get to work and get people to come. I'm loving being the ward mission leader. He's letting me get some things started that I've wanted to happen in a ward since my mission. There really is nothing better than doing the Lord's work and trying to build his kingdom.

Last Friday as I was driving to go play steal the flag I had a moment where you just realize how good life is. I think what did it was breathing in the cool air and smelling the Friday night in the fall goodness. I forgot how awesome the weather here really is. There's just this smell or coolness of fall that gets me all nostalgic. That nostalgic feeling has been happening a lot lately with Colby's home football game, running at night to a big ole red moon, sleeping on the trampoline staring at the stars, or just driving around with the windows down and the wind blowing in the face. Life is good.

When I was little I was always afraid of the forest behind our house at night. I had nightmares of guys walking out of the forest at night with guns or the forest setting on fire. I've slept on the trampoline several times now- one time I really thought I heard someone walking in the forest. I thought I was going to see a guy running toward me waving a gun.

I am alergic to my basement. I can't sleep down there. Everytime I've slept down there the whole night I wake up in the middle of the night sneezing and with a runny nose which makes me go upstairs to take medicine. Well, because I'm upstairs I might as well eat some ice cream. Actually I do that because it helps out with my nose a little and to recreate memories in high school when I would eat ice cream in the middle of the night. So yeah if I don't sleep on the trampoline I sleep on the couch upstairs until 5:45 when Colby and Jamie are getting ready for seminary, then I sleep for a couple more hours downstairs. Rusty (our dog, not my roomate) will usually lick my face around 5:45 as well. That dog is a funny dog. I think he has ADD. He runs around all the time, throws stuff into the air, follows you around everywhere, and will try to make a game out of everything. I like having him around and would like it even more if he wouldn't chew up everything and poop in the basement...darn dog is costing me like $20 because I got poop all over my suit pants.

We played werewolves, but now instead of a Jack Bauer, we're calling him Jason Bourne. Have you seen the Bourne Ultimatum?!! Wow, Bourne is a stud, he can't be caught. That is definitely the best one of the series.

I love Saturdays! I run a ton in the morning and then rest, eat, and watch college football the rest of the day. It takes me the whole day to recover from my run but wow, I love college football. Can you believe Michigan got beat by Appalachian State and then Oregon?!! Man, we should have beated UCLA. My gut feeling tells me we're going to win the rest of our games and that loss will keep us out of the BCS. I'm really impressed with Max Hall. He doesn't have my complete confidence like John Beck had, but he is a lot better than I remember him from the Spring game and he is getting the job done. But what's weird is that I really enjoy watching our defense play, more than our offense. Our defense didn't lose the game for us, the refs and stupid mistakes did.

Boise, Idaho. Attaboy Boise, attaboy.

Southern Utah. Attaboy Southern Utah, attaboy.

Probably the last original F6 Soviet meeting. Attaboy F6, attaboy.

Oh man, this was the girl we found on the side of the road (for the complete story go back a couple entries). Attaboy ambulance, attaboy.

Beaver, Utah claims to have the best tasting water in the world, so we tried it out...not bad. Attaboy Beaver, attaboy.

Kyle and Alan...can you tell who is who? I forget, if only Alan had his briefcase with him. Attaboys Alan and Kyle, attaboys.

I should have taken a picture with him, but I chatted with Governor Tommy Thompson about his ideas to divide Iraq as opposed to Senator Brownbacks'. He's wearing the red tie, observe how most candidates wear a red or blue tie. Attaboy Tommy, attaboy.

Me and good ole Mitt. Attaboy Mitt, attaboy.

This is Dallas, before he learned Spanish. Attaboy Dallas, attaboy.

You aint cause you not

Last weekend Kasey Beck and friends went up to Boise. Man I love roadtrips! Me and cannon drove Carrie and Bret's new car. It was so cool just having the windows down, listening to the music, chattin, and havin a time. There were some really sweet sunsets that we saw, cause from all the fires in Oregon, Idaho, Utah ish. So we arrived pretty late Friday night. We chatted about pranks, and I finally revealed to P-dub that I had a key to their apartment all last year, so that's why we were able to do the couch prank. Us guys slep in the trailer and then we went 4-wheelin the next day. We had an amazing breakfast, shot rifles, potato guns and a handgun. For someone who doesn't go shooting that often, I have a pretty good shot. Maybe I really should become Jack Bauer. We floated the Boise river. That was fun! It was really cold and I'm not sure what it was but I was having the hardest time staying on the tube. Fun times. We ate dinner then went with Adam Channer to pick up his motorcycle and then chilled at Bret's house. P-dub really wants me to write on my blog that out of the 8 of us that went camping a couple weekends ago, she eat me second, after Troy. Church was cool the next day, there was a HUGE tree outside the church, so we had a meeting in the shade-Boise branch. We had a great spaghetti dinner, and then werewolves, of course. It's so funny how we play werewolves with everyone's family. Good trip, and good people. They're a good family for my sister to marry into. Bret's dad asked me when I was going to get married...still haven't found my Abigail Adams...my Marjorie Pay Hinckley...my...Wendy Peffercorn, haha, ya gotta love the Sandlot.

Have you heard the lyrics to the rap song, "This is why I'm hot"? It's pretty stinkin hilarious.

...
This is why I'm hot
This is why I'm hot
This is why, this is why, this is why I'm hot.
I'm hot cause I'm fly.
You aint cause you not.
This is why, this is why, this is why I'm hot.
...
yeah

In "the man who knew too little" the bad guys are trying to bring back the cold war between Russia and the UK. Well I guess they succeeded because both countries have taken out their diplomats and are back to cold war relations. Several months ago a former Russian spy, who was anti-Putin (the Russian president) was poisoned with radioactive material. The UK has been trying to find out who did it, but Russia won't extradite (?) the main suspect. I'm worried about Russia right now. Putin has shut down newspapers and magazines that speak out against him, and has taken away other democratic freedoms. His term ends in 2008 and according to the Russian Constitution can't run again, but some say he's trying to change the Constitution. So yeah, this whole thing is bad for democracy in Russia. Russia has bothered me with some of their votes on the Security Council. They've delayed taking action against Iran and Sudan several times, and then of course they're really upset about U.S. plans to set up a missile defense system in Europe. So yeah things are exciting like always.

Me and Harry in Aachen, Germany.

Zuster van Gils!

Mmmmmmm...chapati

In Madrid

This is a famous bridge in Getxo, Spain. You get across by that cart that is being swung across.

A beautiful sunset in Spain.

At the Madrid Temple

Zuster Lambooij!!!!

This is how I took pictures of "backpackin Kasey"

Cor!!!!!

Went on a boat tour of Rotterdam

Daniel, Grace, and Little Ronnie, they are getting baptized July 29th.

In Bilbao

Teaching business class at Sis. Hasifa's school.

This is where I slept on the beach in Getxo.

I like this picture.

Isn't this an amazing picture?!!!

A kid was taking a picture of me, so I took a picture of him.