Professor Kris

Kristen was invited to read her paper - "The Case For The Space Traveling Comparative Bohemian" - at a University of Utah conference on Friday. Though much of it was over my head, it was basically about the interaction between literature (or any of the "creative" arts) and science. Academia is truly Kris' element. She is just a few weeks from receiving her Masters degree (American Studies), and would very much like to go on for her doctorate. Kris - you make my heart smile. I'm so proud of you!

B-ball

On Tuesday I went to watch the kids at Steph's basketball game. Mickel ended up getting home in time to go as well. It was pretty fun to watch Steph on the court again after so many years vested in that sport.

Kaiya spent her time digging through Grandma's purse, looking for coins for her piggy bank.

Teague spent his time taking pictures. A couple of them even turned out okay.

Unfortunately, the team lost. Steph wasn't very happy about that! The competitive spirit still lives.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Tim's 50th

My dear friend Tim had a 50th birthday weekend bash at their new house in Tucson. So on Friday I left Flagstaff and headed for the Phoenix airport to pick up Jerry and continue on down the road to Tucson. They had eight or so people for dinner on Friday, and although we arrived too late for dinner, they saved us some leftovers (mmmm!). On Saturday night, they had another 16 or so people. Then the main party was on Sunday afternoon. I think there were 35 to 40 people at that party. As always, we had so much fun with Tim and Mark and their multitude of friends.

This is chef extrordinaire, Janet, and birthday boy Tim. She orchestrated the whole thing and did all the food. I helped as a prep cook/dishwasher/errand runner, but it was really Janet's show.

Jerry and me

50 years young!

Flagstaff Visit

I just returned from a road trip to Flagstaff and Tucson. My baby sister Karen lives in Flagstaff - at least for now. I took my mom and my great niece Marina with me. I stayed Wednesday through Friday, then left them there while I went for a visit with friends in Tucson. I picked them up yesterday on the way home. This is my mom, Karen, my nephew Hunter, and Marina (Karen's granddaughter). Unfortunately, my mom is hiding in this picture and I didn't get another. You can see that we have some redheads in our family.


This is their house. It has a lot of really cool features - I love it! I wish they wouldn't sell it, but they've decided to move to Scottsdale (more business for Mike). I've always loved Flagstaff, even before they moved there. It's a little city in the woods. Since it's at about 7,000 feet, the weather there is more like Utah than what you would typically think of as Arizona weather. It was really cold there, and WINDY!


Marina walking Stitch. I'm not really a dog person, but Stitch is a pretty good dog.


Several houses just build around trees for their decks, stairs, etc.

Biggest Loser - Results

Not that I had the greatest results (certainly nothing like the real Biggest Loser contestants!) - nevertheless, I did win the contest. I won four of the ten weekly weigh-ins, and the end-of-contest pot ($100!). I lost a total of 15.8 pounds. However, I still have a few more to go before I'm even close to my ideal weight according to the charts. I kind of plateaued at the end of the constest, so I'll have to do something new to shake things up. We are currently in another fitness contest at work, which is about weight but also about exercise. And it's not just about the weight for me, although that certainly is important. More importantly, I've gotten my blood pressure and cholesterol under better control. I have to work to overcome my genetics. :-)

Spring in Utah

Luckily I finished my run this morning before this "welcome to Spring" snowstorm hit. The good thing about spring snowstorms is that they don't stay around long. Besides, I'm heading out on Wednesday for sunny Arizona! Eighty degrees and sunny (at least in Tucson ... Flag is another story).