Rivertrip October 2009

Yes that's right I limited this post to 26 photos. It's my blog and I'll do what I want to. For those not in the know the river is a strip of the Colorado just below Lake Havasu. Beth's family has been going to the river house on the California side for ever. We spent the first week in October down there.
Probably one of my favorite photos. Lily waves goodbye to the boat with her cousins in tow. We spent one day down at the Wagon Wheel, 20 miles or so down river, with Ruben Kathy and gang.
The gang: Sara, Tony, Jason, Heidi and Nick.
Nick was a super good sport to play and entertain the kids. He also introduced Jack to the Scooby Doo movies which I could not be more thrilled about.
Would somebody please potty train this kid. Diapers in general are a bust but really cramp your style with boats and swimming.
We all had to keep an eye out for Jack, Nick and their water cannons.
Highlight of the week was surfing. Tony's boat throws an awesome wave and we spent many an hour trolling up and down the river.
This trip was my first time trying wake surfing and I could ride without the rope but if I really wanted to carve it up I preferred using it. With any luck I'll grow up to be as good as Jason and pull off 360s etc. without it.
Just look at the water that waited for us at just about all times of the day.
She's so cute with her little hat. Now if we could just get her to ever keep a bow or a clip in her hair.
Jack rocking the gun, holster, and diaper look while checking the traps. He got those for his birthday and has barely let him out of his sight since.
Beth getting in on the surfing action. She picked it up fast and too had a lot of fun. She had the advantage of being goofy foot along with everyone else. I was basically the only regular and had to wait for all of them to take a turn. But I did have the advantage of the cleaner wave. So there! I guess the way the prop rotates helps one side more than the other.
We still got out to lay down some slalom ski turns. Once again Tony's boat was just too fun.
Lily was in heaven with all these adults around her to giver her squeeze its, capri suns, fruit snacks, etc. anytime she wanted.
Jack loves his mommy but can you blame him?
I spent most of the week trying to clear the wake on the wakeboard and consistently landing just short. Finally on the last day my coach, Jason, told me I was wimping out and needed to attack the wake. That made the difference and also created a lot less stress on my shoulder.
Jack and Lily playing on the dock. We had a few bandannas left over from the birthday celebration.
Some pretty sweet sunsets. The weather was actually on the cool side, hovering around 90 degrees instead of the usual 93.
Lily watching from the boat.
She's ready for a turn on the tube. Did not happen.
Bringing me sunscreen for her fair little legs and arms. You might notice the beginnings of the riverstache.

Lily did not want to be left out of the goggle fun. Here she is with her aunt Heidi. Nick didn't appreciate anyone trying to out-nerd him in a photo.
It took pretty much the whole week before Jack started to get as comfortable in the water as he was in the pool just a few weeks before. Finally by Friday he was jumping off the dock and diving head first off the swim deck. By head first I of course mean lowering your chin to your chest and jumping in feet first.
Blanket? Check. Cowboy hat? Check. Goggles? Check. Gun? Check. OK Jack's ready for the day.
Isn't this nice when the two boys gang up on the baby girl? Lily thought it was the best thing ever.
One of the standard activities for any successful river trip, reading. On the way home we stayed a night in Vegas to see BYU-UNLV and attend Will's baby blessing the next day. You might notice the riverstache really coming into it's own.

It was a great trip and could not have come at a more perfect time. The sun, water, friends, relaxation, mexican food, board shorts, good tunes, are all very therapeutic. And for the heck of it here's our theme song of the week. Must have listened to this two dozen times.

Adios Señor Stache

Just for an update since the poll closed. The mustache is gone and was actually gone while the poll was still tied at 18. Thanks goes to the last minute voter who pushed it over for not turning me into a liar.

In reality I was always to shave before my next customer meeting (two days ago) for one simple reason, I look like a jackass with a mustache. For that reason alone I wanted to shave before church on Sunday but in the end I decided I was having too much fun getting new reactions from people. And boy was it fun. My Sunday School class (14 and 15 year olds) never went better. They kept their eyes up front and couldn't stop smiling. The only off topic discussions were whether I made a better Mario or Luigi. They settled on Luigi because Mario was "too fat". I wasn't sure if it was because they think I'm skinny or just not Mario fat. EQ was also fun. Those that you know well enough have no problem laughing, or even asking "WTH(eck)?" It's those that you only sorta know that provide the most comedy as you can watch them debate "is this for real?"

This brings me to another problem that I've been struggling with. Are the people that voted to keep the stache really my friends? I mean really? Did you do it because it made you look like a better husband? Made you feel better about your man? Hey at least I don't grow a ridiculous mustache like Emmett. Or do you truly wish more non-firemen wore one? I'm curious because the only person I found that could stand looking at it for extended periods was Lily. She's so nice to me.

Now that I acknowledged I'm aware of how I look I should warn you not to be too surprised to see a return. Just for amusement's sake. Like the time I bought a fridge pack of Tab because I thought it was ridiculous. Every time I opened the fridge I would laugh. Much like I would laugh every time I looked the mirror. Christmas/New Year's is too soon. Maybe Hawaii in February. Who wants to go to Hawaii in February? We do.

Jack turns 3 proceeds to crash

Jack turned 3 on October 5 and before we left town on the 3rd we gathered at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. Thanks to all those that came. We got Jack his first bike and I can't rember the last time I was this excited for a birthday. Beth also found some cowboy gear in Jackson Hole that he just loves.
I'm glad Brian didn't listen to me and turn the video off after 38 seconds. Jack promptly grabbed his helmet and took his bike for his first spin, only to crash into the table. It was hilarious. Brian put more photos up here. WARNING: Chuck E. Cheese music playing in the background!

coming snail mail soon

In an effort to push that previous photo down the page we'll rewind to the last day I did shave.

Coming soon via Christmas card (assuming this is the photo Beth selects and you happen to be one of the six addresses we have):


This is when Jack announced "I already did one more" and stood up, pulled the smarties out of his shirt pocket, and walked away.

I like this one with Jack reaching to give his sister a hug.

With Michael paying us a visit from BYU-Hawaii over Conference Weekend and we used the opportunity to get some family photos. The conversation with Michael before this photo went something like this ...
Michael: Hey family good to see you, this is Tashina.
Family: Nice to meet you Tashina.
Michael: She's going to need to be in the picture because I asked her to marry me this afternoon.
Family: Oh great, that's fantastic!
Michael: yeah we are super excited. Well it's been real...see you guys in SLC January 2nd for the wedding.

The Riverstache Poll

Soon I'll post some pictures from our week at the river but first a matter of business. As is custom at the river I went a couple days without shaving, then as a joke I shaved everything but my stache to try and get a reaction from Beth. She went on to ignore it for several days hoping it would go away and not wanting to give me the pleasure of a reaction. Next thing you know it had been a week and I'm in too deep. I felt like I have to let this thing ride. Beth seems to think it has to go, and fast. So I told her we'd put it to a poll. What do think? Be sure to vote on the right.

Although I don't like the reactions I get from parents when I smile at them and their kids I do like the possibilities this creates for Halloween. I could be Magnum P.I., Mexican, Super Mario, Uncle Bill, and um uh lots of others I'm sure.

What am I missing?

I look at the length of this list and I feel like it's gotten out of control, I've turned into such a loser. Yet at the same time I can't help but feel like we are missing something. So with the Fall T.V. season kicking off I have to ask, what are we missing?

The Emmetts DVR series record list:

The Office
Monk
Chuck
Kath & Kim
30 Rock
The Simpsons
Burn Notice
24
Lost
Scrubs
Cycling
Better Off Ted
Desperate Housewives
Parks and Recreation
Southland
Psych
Phineas and Ferb
Royal Pains
The Mentalist
Glee
How I Met Your Mother

As far as I know these are all coming back at some point this year*. There's really only 5 shows that I would really care if they didn't (Lost, The Office, 24, 30 Rock, Psych). The bottom 4 shows are the newest additions based on buzz and recommendations. Each one shows promise, although I thought Glee was way overrated. Any other new shows worth a try? Community, The forgotten, etc? Any old shows that we missed the boat? We haven't ever really given House or Bones or The Amazing Race or the CSIs, etc. a chance. Let us know, we Emmetts take our T.V. very serious.

One show I will probably be adding shortly to the list is Curb Your Enthusiasm. I broke down last week and paid for premium cable just so I could see the season premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I kept reading about the Seinfeld sort-of 'reunion' on Curb this season. Well the season premiere had nothing to do with Seinfeld and I generally had no idea what was going on but I literally have not laughed that hard since Arrested Development went off the air and before that it was Seinfeld. Larry David is just as bad an actor as Jerry Seinfeld and the humor is right up my alley. There is some Adult Language and hopefully it doesn't turn any worse but I am really optimistic about it.

*R.I.P. Life. I found out this week Life would not be coming back (thanks NBC) and when I told Beth she was plunged into a deep depression. It's really too bad, he was one of the most likable characters on television.

Why not? trip to California

I just had to get this photo up. Look at that beautiful little girl.
Not sure what makes her look smaller, Uncle Morgan or the Pacific.
Possibly the three worst sand castle builder helpers ever. They got the sand castle destroyer role down.
Everyday and sometimes multiple times in a day swimming in the back yard while simultaneously enjoying a Beverly Hills apple from the tree.
They can't read yet.
A trip home wouldn't be complete without a flashback to the '70s visiting Grandpa McEuen in Oxnard.

Beth, Marci, Ann and the kids spent a week in and a half enjoying themselves in Palos Verdes. It's too bad things get in the way preventing me from being there the whole time, forcing me to fly in and out for part. I would really like to be there in the car with them for what they turn into a 14 hour day.

Weekend of Me

Some time within the last four weeks I had one of those weekends where it was all about me. And it wasn't even my birthday. It started Friday night with MBA graduation. Those that really cared about me chose to attend. Thanks everyone. Actually I wasn't all that excited about the pomp and circumstance myself, mostly excited to see the other guys from the program again. Classes had ended July 1. (For those muttering "what the heck?" I spent the past two years in the Executive MBA program at BYU. Classes were every Tuesday and Thursday night.)

The ceremony itself was spectacular and I can't even remember what was said. I spent the whole time thinking "This is awesome! We are absolutely cruising, this could take under an hour!" Not quite but we sure came close at one hour four minutes. Best graduation proceedings I've ever been to. My sister did a better job documenting the event and post more photos here.

Here I am holding the little lady at the pre ceremony party. It got wild with lemonade and vegetables with dip. We were careful not to get anything on the suit I got myself for graduation while we were in Bangkok.

Here's the family in the new edition to the Tanner Building (Marriott School of Management) after I finally figured out how to put on the bat cape, but was still working on the scarf thingy. Is it old school to be one of the two not looking at the camera when there's a two and one year old? Behind us is a plaque with the donors including all the Marriotts and if you look over my left shoulder a couple ending in "ARET MILLER". I wonder if they know Beth's grandparents Marvin and Margaret.
The buddy hugging me after it was over. Notice the tassel is still on the right, I guessed wrong before the diplomas. Speaking of diplomas I got an email this week saying mine was in the mail. I guess they forgave the unpaid parking ticket that kept me from ever getting my bachelor's diploma. Good for them!

That night those that could make it joined us at Gloria's Little Italy for the requisite carbo loading before the Utah Half Tri. Coincidentally I got to use the other part of the my graduation scores, the new to me Specialized road bike from my dad. The last time I got a new bike and a new suit was 2003, the last time I graduated. I don't know what I'm going to do in a few years when I need another suit and another bike.

Weekend of Me (cont.)

The race was a half-iron man distance. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run. Due to crazy weather the event organizers ended up cutting the swim in half, which was annoying but better than canceling it all together. I finished in 5 hours flat, just one minute off the podium and a chance to stand next to my buddy Casey who got first. I still owe him a Slurpee for a stupid bet I made. We finished the bike portion of the race at the same time and I said if he beat me 20 minutes I'd buy him a Slurpee. He went on to run the half marathon more than 30 minutes faster. Don't know what I was thinking.

Upon reflection I wondered where I could have made up the minute I needed to get on the podium. There's the fact that I'm fat and out of shape but that's a given. If I got a Tri or Time Trial specific bike that would more than make it up. Even if I added aero bars to my bike it would have gotten me out of the 30 mph head and cross winds we had before the storm hit. Maybe if I hadn't gone off course (with lots of others) and added an extra mile on the bike I could have made up the minute I needed. There's also all the walking I did after mile 8, that certainly didn't help. Finally I figured out where I wasted a minute and turns out it was on the swim. But not really the swim as there was no stroking going on. It was spent trying to get out of the water on the moss covered boat ramp. It was impossible!

You'll have to take my word for it but that is me and my right arm behind the guy in front. I'm in 2 inches of water and still on my hands and knees trying unsuccessfully to make progress. Eventually one the of the volunteers took pity and offered me their hand while they anchored themselves on dry land. Just like a quicksand rescue.
Giving it my all and hitting 12 mph. Stupid summer storms.
At the start of the run when I could still run.

Wasatch County Fair

The Wasatch County fair came to town a few weeks back and brought with it some of our favorites; dutch oven cook-off, The Mountain Valley Stampede, and of course the rides. Also of note are the carnie folks, whose slowness and ineptitude is only rivaled by anyone in the "service" industry in Parker, AZ. Anyone who has tried to get a McFlurry, A&W Float, or Dairy Queen shake at the river knows what I'm talking about.
Jack and Seth whizzing by on the Pirate Ships.
Jack picked an appropriately named ship.
Lily couldn't go on much and at the start of the merry-go-round wasn't totally sold on the idea of riding a metal black stallion.
Jack and Seth on the other hand got a kick out of it.
Jack and Ollie on the race cars.
Lily looks longingly through the bars at her cousins as they go around.
Seth the cheeze ball.
Porter and Jack about to make their escape out of the fun house.

It was a fun couple days at the fair. We went back another day to ride some more rides and it was so funny to watch Jack. Like his Grandma Emmett he loves the thrill of roller coasters. Kurt and I went on The Zipper (did not break my high school record of 49 flips on the Zipper) and Jack cried the whole time because he wanted to go too. We did take him on the adult rides he was big enough for and he wanted to go again and again. Lily came with us on the Ferris Wheel and lost her breath every single time at the top. It was too funny to be heartbreaking.
Some photos from the rodeo. We had the seats closest to the starting stalls and had a couple bulls come up and stare us down after disposing of their cowboy. Like most terrifying situations I didn't think of any good trash talk until long after the moment was over and the bull(y) had walked away. Oh yeah! Well watch out or you'll be on my bbq grill next week! I totally should have said that.

Haircuts by John

I'm considering turning this into a flyer to advertise my free (tips accepted) hair cutting service. Between my crazy eyes and the screaming child I should get all the customers I want.

While we were away

So apparently when you are gone for a couple weeks your kids go ahead and grow up without you. Lily turned one, started walking, grew a mullet, and began dispersing kisses. Jack grew an inch, improved his verbal skills, turned into a negotiator with said verbal skills, figured out he can escape from crib, and also grew a mullet. They didn't miss a beat carrying on with their happy selves thanks to the excellent care and attention from all their favorite people. Thanks everyone!

W had a blast in Asia. I will eventually get around to posting more about it so stay tuned. Just be thankful for the break, the longer I go the more I forget and the less verbose I will be.Kristin had some great photo sessions with the kids. More can be seen here on her blog.

Little Big Girl

We will be gone for Lily's first birthday on the 26th. So we baked her a cake and had a small celebration on Sunday. Here is the birthday girl picking blueberries off her cake.Just two of the best moms around.Cousin Kru, who is two days older than Lily (yes I said DAYS), made sure to get the frosting worked into a good lather before applying to Lily's hair and back.

Stay Tuned for Engrish Lessons

Beth and I are leaving in the morning for two weeks in Asia. We are super excited and only Beth is only kind of freaked out about leaving the kids. At least we know they are in the good hands of Grandma and Grandma McEuen, Aunt Marci and Uncle Morgan, and Grandma and Grandpa Emmett and Aunt Kristin.

The trip is part of the Executive MBA program I am finishing in just over a month. My trip is included with my ridiculous tuition but we have the option to bring our spouses. As long as we pay for them. It is a great opportunity and we couldn't pass it up. Here's a rough itinerary of what we have to look forward to and fodder for future posts and tweets.

May 22-23 Depart and arrive in Osaka, Japan
May 24-26 Kyoto, Nagoya, Tokyo, Japan
May 27-28 Seoul, Ulsan, Bulsan, South Korea
May 29-31 Beijing, China
June 1-3 Hong Kong
June 4-6 Bangkok, Thailand

T.V. Season In Review

Now that the 2009 television season has wrapped up I feel it's safe to give a few of my thoughts. I previously didn't want to influence so many people's opinions through my blog. I mean our blog. "I did refer to it as OUR nausea" -Buster Bluth

Lost and 24 are still far and away the best shows on T.V. They are the only two shows that no matter what is going on I will not go to bed on Monday or Wednesday without watching. A couple months ago I read this article in USA Today about the two shows. (On a side note I just love that newspaper. I honestly believe everything I read and agree with all of their reviews. It could be because they do such a great job appealing to those with attention paying disorders. Short, colorful, and almost no "continued on page 10" garbage. Reminds of the "Yada, Yada" Seinfeld episode) At that time I didn't quite share his complete and total enthusiasm for the two shows.

Lost was really ticking me off. I have never been a fan of time travel. In fact I have openly spoken against time travel whenever asked. It wasn't until this conversation between Hurley and Miles that I lightened up and appreciated the ride. It felt good to see the writers seemed to be having fun with the at times ridiculous ideas. I will always hang in there with this show no matter what because of the characters. I'm addicted to them. I can't think of another show that has relationships this well formed and developed. I still think the love story between Sayid and Nadia was fantastic. George Lucas really could have used these people to help write the Anakin-Padme disaster. Ben is one of the best bad guys ever. I loved when Desmond pounded his face in. Actually Bianco said it best in his review "Lost is one of TV's best series not because of the intricacies of its myth but because of the depth and richness of its characters."

24 this season was back (finally!) to their old tricks. That's why we always come back. The whole Tony is good Tony is bad thing was messing with my mind but I think they did a good job of resolving his motivations at the end. I'm one of the few people in the world that doesn't care for Chloe and yet has no problem with Kim. I know I'm weird but at least Chloe seemed to have a smaller role this year and Kim helped defend herself against all the haters by turning into an actual asset. It's too bad Jack is dying and won't be around for next season. I wonder who they will get to replace him. My vote is Jason Bourne.

The Office and 30 Rock are my next two favorite shows. It was weird this season because about a month or two into the season 30 Rock surpassed The Office in what I wanted to watch first when I got home from class on Thursdays. It made me laugh more and laugh harder. But then the two shows slowly switched places again and The Office was back on top. I do look forward to finding out what the big secret was the Dr. told Jim and Pam that kept them from returning to the volleyball match.

New shows that I hope return include Better Off Ted and The Unusuals. The best new show in this house is Phineas and Ferb. You gotten check out this show. I still haven't quite nailed down when it's on but sometime during Playhouse Disney before Tigger and Pooh and after Little Einsteins. Not only is the show funny but it is hilarious to hear how Jack says "Phineas and Ferb" when you ask him what he wants to watch. I actually caught myself wanting to watch an episode I hadn't seen when the kids were already in bed.

T-T-T-Tag

So I was reminded recently that I had been tagged. And by reminded I mean completely minded! (Dr. Doofenshmirtz anyone?). I tried to forget and then I tried to pretend to forget. Eventually too much time passed and I couldn't do it anyways. I couldn't take a "candid" picture after more than a week. I would look too good, too put together. Plus I overheard one woman at work tell another woman at work how to look good in self portraits. You hold the camera up high and look up, this avoids the double chin.

But then I remembered I kind of did it while trying to figure out how to upload to Twitpic on my phone. It was 6:00 a.m. and I was trying to stay warm before the triathlon started by seeking shelter in a port a potty. I actually didn't want to leave because this particular port a potty had never been used and it was really sad knowing what it would be like by the end of the day.

Anyways you can go here if you wish to see my unflattering photo per the rules of the tag.

I tag the three people least likely to pass it along. Or most likely to ignore. Or most likely to let it die.

Dad
Trevor
Scott

Poundsies

Jack came with me to packet pick up at the St. George Triathlon and got in on the body marking action. He went with #2.

Slightly Biased

Isn't she just adorable?

Not normally very good at taking photos it has been especially tough the past couple weeks since misplacing our camera. Is it at your house? In your car? Please let us know. Here are a few from the past couple weeks taken with the backup.

Lily had the hugest smile while sleeping the other night in the car. I am sure she was dreaming about when daddy comes home, the other time she busts out that smile.

At her Grandma Emmett's house in her new dress.

Perfecting the backwards navigation of the stairs.

Jack, not one to normally be shown up, puts on a show by demonstrating that he too can go down stairs backwards on his stomach.

Family photo op before church Easter Sunday.