My First Real Off-Road Ride

For a few months now, Joe and I have been planning on an off-road motorcycle trip to celebrate our graduations from school. Not only was I planning on graduating with my MBA this month, but Joe is going to graduate with his bachelor's degree also. We thought it would be fun to get together and go for a ride before Joseph moves to California to start his new job.

Amber and I were taking the kids to stay with Mom and Jen. They and their accompanying support crew will be tending the kids while Amber and I go to Oklahoma and Texas this week. Anyway, Joe and I decided that this would be the perfect time to go for a ride since Amber and I would be going through Arbon anyway.

Mom was at Jen's house in Idaho Falls so Amber dropped me off in Arbon on her way to Jen and Dave's place. Dad let Joe and I borrow his pickup. We loaded Joe and Jen's bikes into the truck and headed off to Knox Canyon.


We drove up to the top of the canyon and parked the truck and got the bikes out of the back. We rode down the road a ways and snapped this picture of Joe on the side of the road. The weather was perfect. The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot. Also, there were some bugs out but they didn't bother us too much.

Joe had done some searching on Google Earth and found some trails a week ago. However, as we rode the bikes to those trails, we found out that it was all private land. We didn't want to trespass, but we really wanted to go on those trails. After some soul searching we decided it would be best if we found some other trails to go on. We headed back to the top of the canyon and started riding down offshoot roads from the main road.

Whenever we would find what looked like a logging road or are a makeshift trail, we would take it to see where it went. Oftentimes, the trail would be obstructed by fallen trees or debris. The following picture shows one such incident where Joe and I had to get the motorcycles over a couple of fallen trees. This picture was by far our most trying obstacle. It took both of us at the same time to give the bikes some gas and lift them up at just the right time to help them clear the tree that had fallen across the path. Joe's bike is much bigger than Jen's. It fell a couple of times as we were trying to get it through brush and over logs. Good thing it is not one of our old Chinese bikes. It came out of the falls without any damage.



Another thing I had hoped to do on our motorcycles was to find a trail that would take us up to the tallest peak in power County. It is the same peak the Aylee and Johnathan and I tried to hike last year. However, it was not to be. We searched several trails but nothing got us close enough to a bare ridge that would take us to the peak. On one such search, we went up a ridge that took us to a great lookout point. This picture is of me standing on the edge of the viewpoint. There was not a trail up to this area. Rather, it was just a bare ridge line with many rocks. It was a fun climb.




We also found a small canyon that had a small creek running through it. We had to cross the creek several times to continue up the trail. It was a lot of fun. The water was really rushing down the mountain. Even though it was a small narrow stream, it sure made a lot of noise.




This was my first ride off-road. When we first started, I told Joe to take it easy on me because I wasn't very sure of myself. However, I gained my confidence fairly quickly and really enjoyed it.

We started our ride around 2PM and got back to Mom and Dad's house by 8PM. Joe told me that this was the longest and most challenging off-road ride he has ever done. That is a great compliment considering the Joe often goes out to do trail riding.

On our ride, Joe was trying to get me all convinced that I needed to buy dirt bikes for my kids. I told him that the other day when Aylee and I had to go to the auto parts store, they had a mini motorcycle there in the store. Aylee pleaded with me to ask the store clerk how much the motorcycle was. When he said it was only $300 for the little minibike Aylee started to calculate the dollars in her head. I think she has started to dream about it. It would be a fun activity, but I'm not sure I'm ready for my kids to be doing that kind of stuff. However, I have to admit that it would be a fun activity to do with them.

I cannot explain how fun it was to be out there with Joe. It was fun to spend some time with him. We are sure going to miss him as he moves to California in a few weeks. I hope that we can find time in the future to still get together and do things like this. This was definitely a fun day that will become a great memory for me.

Masters of Business!

Well, this was it! Jake and I finished our final class of the Utah State University MBA program. I can't tell you how good it feels to be done. Jake and I drove up in our cars to our house to find it all decorated outside. Amber and the kids had spent time yesterday and today preparing for our long-awaited arrival. The lawn was decked with balloons, a big congratulations sign, and plenty of party toys for the kids.



After our terrific reception Amber and Shantell and the kids had a graduation ceremony for us in the house. This, of course, included a plethora of pictures.



Jake and I made sure that we got pictures with the two people who have supported us the most throughout these past three years. If I am not mistaken, Jake has been in school the entire time that the two of them have been married. Amber and I have calculated it up and I have been in school half of the time during our 11 year marriage. I guess school has been a big part of our family's lives. We are definitely grateful for our supportive, beautiful wives.



The kids have also been waiting for this day. Each Saturday when I have arrived home from school, they gather around the refrigerator hall I tear off a link of the chain the Amber made me to symbolize the number of weekends I've had left. This past week, Aylee and Aliece both created daily chains for me to count down with. We are all pretty dang excited.



Jake and I are both very grateful that we had each other during these last three years. It sure has made getting through the classes a much easier ordeal to go through it together. It has been fun to be learning the same things and to be having many of the same experiences.



I think Amber's sign says it well, we are all excited to be done with this program and now have the degree behind us.



Celebrations of the day included a hot dog and brown sugar frosting cakes lunch just after the graduation ceremony. Jake and Shan took some cake with them, and returned to their house. We are hotdogs on the back lawn and the nice warm sun. After lunch, our family activity was to go swimming. We spent two hours up the pool having fun, splashing in the water. Once we got home, the kids went to the neighbors house, and Amber, Jake, Shantell, and I all met at the red lobster restaurant for a delicious dinner.

I just can't believe it's over!

Jenna's Pre-School Graduation 2008

I can't believe another year has come and gone! Jenna just graduated from her second year of preschool! She is so excited for Kindergarten, we almost can't contain her. She has already taken the test, and made sure that I knew she had passed it!
Here are just a couple of snapshots from graduation. We usually have it at the park, but this day was really crummy outside.

Jenna's 5th Birthday!

Jenna just had her 5th B-day party last month. From the pictures it looks like it hasn't happened yet because my camera's date is so off, lol.
She had so much fun. So many friends and family came!
She got a brand new Dora bike!
And a Dora bed set!
And her grandma Blacker just bought her a pretty new dress!

Memorial Day 2008

Our Family has a tradition...every Memorial Day we go out to the cemetery and take a picture by my babies' grave. It's really kind of silly, we didn't mean to start this, it just happened. But I really like it. It helps us remember the boys, and it shows how much the other kids grow each year.I just noticed that these pictures have the wrong date on them, I guess I better fix my camera.

I had a big eye opener today at work. I had a lady wheeled into the birth center just bawling. I found out that she had just found out that the baby she was carrying had passed away. She was 23 weeks pregnant. She had the same OB that I have, and it brought back a flood of emotion. All I can say is that I'm so glad that I know what I know, because I've seen many who don't know, and hurt so much more.

We do have to keep an eye on this little guy, he really likes pretty flowers!

Biking to Utah Lake

Today, after I finished my Saturday class, I came home and the kids eagerly asked me to tear off one of the two links left in my chain. Of course the link said I have only one more weekend to go! I am very excited to be done soon. Anyway, our family activity for the day was to go bike riding.



Utah Lake State Park was having a Utah Lake Festival today. Along with the festival there was free entrance into the park including many games and activities for the kids to participate in.



The kids fished for candy, made animal necklaces, got snowcones, and finally tried their hand at a carnival game to try to win a goldfish. Each of the kids tried to throw a ping-pong ball into a series of miniature fish jars. Aliece was the child in the family that won a goldfish.



We packed the goldfish in the front pack of Aliece's barbie bike and headed back home.
It was a great day!

The New Guru

If there was anyone that could do something in stealth mode, it would be our little Alayna. While she is a happy and chatty girl, she is also content to do things on her own in a quiet corner whenever everyone else is busy or off to school.

I guess when the kids have been at school and Amber has either been exercising or doing her hair, Alayna has been working on the computer in the play room. She has gotten pretty good at figuring how to use the computer. One day, Amber heard Aylee ask everyone, "Who changed my login picture". We have an account for each child on the computer. Each account has a button with a picture on it that you click if you want to log in as that user. Aylee found that her picture had been changed.

After Aylee made the query, Alayna responded saying that she changed it. Aylee was really surprised and asked her how she changed it. Our cute little three year old went over to the computer and clicked on the start button and went to the Computer Control Panel. Then she went into the User Accounts program there and looked for Aylee's account. She found Aylee's account and opened it up and went to the settings and changed her picture.

Wow, I need to keep an eye on that girl. She is going to have my firewall hacked if I don't watch out!

What a Poor Dad am I?

After we got home from the park today, Amber wanted us to go on a post-dinner bike ride so that the kids could see how far it will be to ride their bikes to the new school in August.

We ate dinner and then hopped on our bikes and headed off to the school. I was riding with Aylee and Johnathan when I noticed Johnathan's feet:



Johnathan had one ragged shoe on the one foot, and a flip-flop on the other. I asked him why in the world he was wearing his shoes like that. He responded that his other shoe has a broken velcro strap and so the shoe won't stay on his foot. He would wear his flip flops instead, but he lost the mate. It just so happened that his broken shoe and lost flip flop were for opposite feet - therefore, his best solution was to wear one good shoe and his remaining flip-flop.

I guess his shoe has been broken for a few days now. I guess we will have to figure something out. I wonder how many times you can strap a shoe to a foot with duct tape before it loses its stickyness?

Absent Mindedness

Amber called me at work today and asked if I wanted to meet them at the park just off center street in Provo on my way home. I responded that it would be a great idea.

I donned on my helmet and started my MP3 player so that I could start listening to the "Reagan Diaries" on my way over there. I got so engrossed in listening to that book that I didn't really pay attention to where I was going.

I drove past the park and stopped at the stop light next to the park. The kids saw me and realized that I was not stopping at the park. They all ran to the sidewalk and started yelling my name at the top of their voices. However, with my motorcycle noise, helmet, and MP3 player playing, I did not hear or see them. I just stared straight ahead. When the light turned green, off I went!

About five blocks later, I arrived at the park that I had in my head that I was going to. Just before I reached the park, I realized what I was doing. Feeling really dumb, I quickly turned the bike around and headed back to the intended park.

The kids really teased me about it when I got there!

We had a good time while we were there though. Jace took his first ride on a real park swingset. He was really panic faced at first, but I helped him to adjust and then he thought it was the best thing in the world!

Hiking to Bridal Veil Falls

After class on Saturday, the kids had me rip off another link in the "Finishing-The-MBA-Chain" that is dangling on our refrigerator door. It is fun to see it get so short! With every count-down link there is a family activity that we do for that day.

I ripped off the link to see the words: 2 More! Wow! Our family activity listed on the link was to go swimming. However, Jace had been sick for a while and Utah county is putting their foot down on infant illnesses in public pools, so we decided to go play in the water at Bridal Veil Falls - up Provo Canyon.

Once we got to the base of the falls, the littlest girls stripped down to their swimsuits and started playing in the water near the trail.



Aylee, Johnathan, and I hiked up higher on a non-paved trail and went up to the actual falls area higher up the mountain.



After snapping a few pictures of ourselves, the kids wanted to go back down and play in the water with Aliece and Alayna.



We returned to the pooled water area and let the kids play in the rocks and cold water for nearly an hour. We snapped a lot of pictures in the process.



We had a great time hiking and playing in the falls. It sure was a beautiful day for it.