Fall Has Arrived!!

Fall is upon us here in the Pacific Northwest; the air is more crisp, the mornings are colder, and the sweatshirts and hoodies are being dusted off. Karen and I are both experiencing the summer to fall change for the first time in a long time because we have always been away at school. Karen hasn't experienced a fall season in Washington since 2001 and I haven't experienced fall here since 1999! The leaves will start turning exquisite reds, yellows and oranges and the smoke from chimneys will be seen throughout the land. To ring in the new season Karen put together a very cute scarecrow that is now hanging outside our house. She painted the wood pieces a couple of years ago and finally added to finishing touches today. Isn't she crafty! She is much more than crafty and I am very grateful for her and her many many talents.

Training in "The City of Brotherly Love"

Yo Karen, I did it! Well, I didn't quite climb the same steps or defeat Clubber Lang but I came away from Philadelphia feeling like a champ. I was recently in Philadelpia for some new hire training. Turner sponsored the training and brought in close to 80 new hires from around the country. We were taught the importance of leadership, ethics, teamwork, work-life balance, safety, etc. It was a good conference and was a fun networking opportunity. Although I was competing on a different surface and in a different game the Italion Stallion would have been proud of my grind it out, in your face, get knocked down-get up again basketball game against a baller from the East coast. All in all it was an educational and worthwhile conference but the best part was getting off the plane and landing in my gorgeous wife's loving arms. I love you Karen. Enjoy a few photos of City Hall and downtown Philly!

TEXAS

While Erik was enjoying his football fun in Provo, I was getting settled in Texas. I went to Texas to help my sister Camille on her journey home with two kids after spending the heat of the summer in Washington.

After a long flight on Saturday we took all day Sunday to recover. We went to church in the morning and spent the afternoon relaxing as we adjusted to the time difference.

On Monday, Ryan had the day off and joined us on our adventure to the aquarium in Dallas. We saw all kinds of interesting animals.

Throughout the week Camille and I had fun dancing, jumping on the trampoline, and listening to fun music with Elise. (Kids have so much energy!) Although we were not excused from changing diapers, doing the dishes, and fixing meals.

We enjoyed going shopping for things we didn't really need, projects we don't really have time for, and the shoes we will probably never wear and not to mention the purse to go with it.

On my last night I gave Davis a hair cut at 3 months old.

Thanks for such a fun time Camille, Ryan, Elise, & Davis!

Provo & Back in 34 Hours

I left the Great Pacific Northwest on Saturday morning via Southwest Airlines. My destination: Provo. My purpose: To unite with my family and 60,000+ Cougar fans for a football game against the University of Arizona. It was a very warm summer day in Provo for the season opening football game. The Cougar defense shut down the University of Arizona and our offense looked real good for most of the game. We beat the Wildcats of Arizona 20-7 to start the 2007 campaign off on the right foot. We did have a scare right before the game when our beloved brother Austin couldn't seem to find the tickets! Austin received a few death threats before he finally found the tickets, and I know he was sweating bullets. We love you Austin! Following the game we got a bite to eat, tested out Tyler's new tricked out ride, and threw the football around.

We (Dad, Mom, Kirsten, Austin and I) said good-bye to Tyler and wished him the best of luck as he embarks on his first of many semesters at BYU. We love you Tyler! Go get 'em! On Sunday we left the Salt Lake Valley and headed home together in the van. We picked up a runaway on our way home and although we were nervous she didn't try to pull anything funny. We arrived back in Maple Valley around 6 pm and when we arrived back at the pad our house had been "forked". A couple of Austin's friends had "forked" the house with 500 forks and numerous banners were stuck to all three garage bays. Upon unpacking we relaxed with a couple of games of UNO (Dad's favorite game) and had some good laughs. Thanks for the fun time Mom, Dad, Kirsten, Austin and Tyler.