The Blue Couch...

It seems mom has had a clue couch for as long as I can remember. While we were in Utah, the replaced the blue basement sectional with a new one. The old one needed to go from the basement to the attic. It was left to Jonny, Dad and Me to move it up there.

Here is a picture from the adventure. Once we got it lined up with the attic door, It juuuuust fit. It went through like jello coming through a mold, and made about the same sounds. "FFffffffffffump"

Here is a shot of it JUST as it went through. Look at the top left. That's Jonny's hand poking out. I'm still amazed that it fit.

It was funny...but maybe you had to be there? Jonny, Dad, was it funny?

Pictures of a trip home....?

There is something to be said for going home. I consider home to be where I'm most comfortable. Home right now is Annapolis, MD, where I live with my wife and son. But it feels like a temporary home. That is, I know I won't live here until I'm old. I could see myself living is Kansas until I'm old. Is that home? When I flew into Salt Lake City, it felt like home there too. How confusing! I guess in the end, home is where I am with my family. A hotel room, a rented house in Annapolis, a borrowed on in American Fork. Wherever they are, that's where I'd like to be.

We recently took a trip to our Childhood home of Utah Valley, UT (among other places.) In no particular order, here are some photos of us at home.

We went to NYC the weekend before the SLC trip. This is Jackson with the "Guard" at the FOA Schwarz. He has some lego dudes in that red bag.


Another one fro NYC. Jackson and Cortnie on the subway escalator.


Another from NYC. Jackson with Lego Potter gang.

Trav, kicking it in classic style. We love you Travie. Jackson was very upset to learn that you're not actually a member of our family. We told him that you are anyway.

Another NYC show. Us, waiting for the bus into the city. How brave of us.

The Mount Temp. Temple at night.

We played some tennis while staying in Logan, UT for a few days. This is Todd.

Katie, getting ready for some tennis. She is a lot like her mom, which is a great thing.

Jillian, getting worked by the ball. She used to call me "Uncle Map".

Introucing Julia, the most recent addition to our extended family. She belongs to Melody and Jonny, and is wicked cool. Check out her style. Seen here with her Grandma Jan.

Jackson flying in the desert sky.

Jackson, firing his first "Real" gun. We shot silver BB's into boxes and water bottles. He's a great shot!

Jackson meets Julia.

Not a great picture, but it's jacks first time gathering up candy at a parade. See that orange hat? He completely filled it.

My sister Elise, right after causing me a serious defeat. My knees are still recovering from this game.

We had a great time staying with my Grandparents in Logan. Here is Grandpa on the famous deck.

Another Cameo by Julia. Elise carrying her around in the moby, whatever that is.

A highlight of our trip. Elise and her good friend Nicole were actors in a Harry Potter 7 book release party at BYU Bookstore. It was very well done, and fun.

Jillian and Jack spent a lot of time together. Here they are cooperating. Amazing!

Elise flying in the desert sky.

This wreck happened directly in front of us. The Van and the little blue car were innocent bystanders. A jeep his this Suburban, which came flying into (and onto) this cars. It was intense. Jackson covered it in "The Safety Crash".

This little one is precious. She's the youngest peck, and likes to sing nearly everything she says. Alison, in my moms "Cool Pool" (the hot tub, without the hot).

While I was here, our long time neighbor and friend Maurice Peterson died shortly after having a heart attack. He owns the lot next to us (and used to ALL the lots in the neighborhood.) A great person that everyone was sad to lose. I was here last Fall, and went to see him. My friend Josh snapped this photo. I suspect it maybe the last taken of him.

So there you go. Pictures of home? You decide.

Stolen from Cami...

Only rule: you have to answer with one word.

1. Where is your mobile phone? Manbag
2. Relationship? Healthy
3. Your hair? Spikey
4. Work? Stressful
5. Your sister(s)? Beautiful
6. Your favorite thing? Necco
7. Your dream last night? Empty
8. Your favorite drink? Dew
9. Your dream car? Firebird
10. The room you're in? Office
11. Your shoes? Tied
12. Your fears? Buried
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Photographer
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Parents
15. What are you not good at? This
16. Muffin? No
17. Wish list item? 1DM3
18. Where you grew up? PG
19. The last thing you did? Quake3
20. What are you wearing? Out
21. What are you not wearing? Sunglasses
22. Your pet? Jack
23. Your computer? Mac
24. Your life? Fun
25. Your mood? Nervous
26. Missing? Keys
27. What are you thinking about? Quitting
28. Your car? Truck
29. Your kitchen? Wifes
30. Your summer? Utah
31. Your favorite color? Sunset
32. Last time you laughed? Melted
33. Last time you cried? Teribithia
34. School? Half
35. Love? Love!

I promise something more interesting is coming.

The System is up...

Just a quick note. I am happy to report that themdg is out of the ICU. A new drive has been installed, and it should work better. We did lose a huge pile of MP3s, but those are replaceable, right?

It's nice to be back online.

Stay tunes for Utah Trip antics.

Mattie Are You Out There?

Well it has been several weeks since I have posted but I feel I must since Mattie is lost in space. Actually he is in Utah but it might as well be space since he is devoid of all access to the Internet. In fact while he was gone the Internet was replaced by Al "Lockbox" Gore with a brand new one that is funded entirely by selling carbon credits that were acquired on eBay from the Chinese. Apparently though these credits are fakes and have been shown to cause cancer in lab rats by the state of California (i think it was due to a ridiculously high level of CO2). While Mattie was gone I spoke to him once and he was playing golf. I have no idea what else he has been doing but as I find out so will you. Till then, I say good day.

The system is down...

I've gone cold turkey, and not by choice. I'm disconnected, in more ways than one.

My little file/web server that I keep in my room at home is powered down. This alone causes me to lose sleep! It's funny how much you depend on things, and don't realize it until they're not there.

We're in Utah for a long vacation. A few weeks prior to this trip, one of the hard drives in the server started acting up. The errors it produced caused me to manually restart the server once a day or so. I didn't have time to change out the hard drive before we left, so I was forced to just shut it down. Ouch. It'll be down for three weeks. That means, no photos, no music, no email (not easily anyway), and no websites for many people. Trav, Elise, etc. I apologize.

To add insult to injury, everywhere we've been staying has had NO wireless or otherwise internet access available. N.O.N.E. Hard times. We're at the in laws house now, and I found a 2-foot square spot in the house that gets a sketchy wireless connection from a neighbor. Beggars can't be choosers and all that.

I hate being so disconnected like this but I'm resigning myself to it and it's not being as hard as I thought it might be. I'm reminded of some cool things as a result of not being able to use the computer. Check this out:

• They have a great sunrise every morning, and it's open to the public.
  
• My wife is as beautiful and loving as ever.
  
• My kid is hilarious and makes me proud.
  
• My nieces are precious goof balls as are my sisters and parents.
  
• You can get a nice sunburn if you only put sunscreen on once while at the pool in the afternoon.
  
• Monkey-bars are delicious.
• You can go on a Napoleon Dynamite tour if you drive a few miles north of Logan, UT.
• And More!

So, the server is down for the count, but it'll be back. Count on it. For now...stop and smell the flowers. It's good times.

The Best Day Ever

Today I have been made a contributor to The Red Dolphin. My charge is to document that antics of MATTIE! I thought this day would never come.

My First Gig... Drum Corps in Annapolis

So I shot my first paid photography gig last weekend. A Drum Corps International competition in Annapolis, MD. Getting on the field was a long time in the making, but very rewarding. Jolesch Photography owns all the shots, so I can't post them here, but you can view them on their site here:

Jolesch DCI Action Photos - Annapolis MD - June 16 2007

I gotta say...it was memorable. I'm as passionate a fan of Drum Corps as most dudes are about Football or other sports. So, being on the field with some of my favorite Corps, including the 2006 World Champion Cavaliers was a thrill, to say the least. I thought it was loud from the stands! It was an outstanding experience.

I thought they would be a bit more discriminating on which shots they put up on their site, and which they left out, but no...they put them all up. So, even though there are some poor shots there, I'm generally happy with how they came out.

I have two more DCI shows to shoot this month. One of them is at the NY Giants football stadium in New Jersey. That should be exciting.

Don't break the law...

I had an interesting experience today. I went to District Court to be a character witness for a friend in a messy divorce/custody dispute. While we waited for everyone to arrive etc, we sat in the courtroom and watched many other cases as they were heard by the judge. It's those cases that I wanted to comment about.

Watching the people come up and plead guilty or not guilty and have their lawyers help them, it struck me how easy it was to break the law. Most of the people were there for driving with a suspended license, driving without insurance, driving with an unregistered vehicle and in a few cases, driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol.

In every case, the driver was pulled over for something other than they thing they were in court for. Anything from following too close to having a tag light burned out. The officer would soon find out that the drivers license was suspended etc. All of these were jail-able offenses! The judge was kind, and most of the time the people were sincere. In one case, a woman was accused of driving while drunk, and of following too closely. She is 23, has recently finished her teaching degree and was entertaining offers from several public elementary schools in the area. She almost threw it all away by getting drunk and trying to drive! Seems to silly. (I'm sure she'd agree.)

What's my point? Going there and watching the cases was an eye-opening experience. It made me examine parts of my life that I wouldn't have thought about. In this case, about driving. "I DO have a license plate light that is burned out. I am missing a front plate on one of my cars." If I was pulled over for those things, I'm fairly certain that I would not have to appear in court about something else they discovered...but still. Disobedience starts with the small things that you let slide.

Watch "To Catch a Predator" on Dateline NBC. I bet most of those guys can not believe that they were about to do what they were planning. They were tricked step by step...thinking that this little act of disobedience was ok, or that little rule breaking was justifiable. A few too many of those, and they're in prison!

I think I'll go watch a few cases every few months. Not to lift myself up above the accused, but to try and humble myself, and open my eyes to other areas of my life that might need attention. Seeing the wages of sin is a sobering thing.

McCartney's new Song/Video

Paul McCartney released a new track from his upcoming album. The track is called 'Dance Tonight' and you can see the video here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xTNXrkBSp_o

The new album is called "Memory Almost Full" and will be released on June 5th.

To buy, or not to buy...revisited...

Authors addendum 5/10/2007 : As I started to make repairs on the Maxima, more problem started to emerge. As I see them, I'm actually more excited about having a fun project to work on. But, I've come to realize that the maxima has to be just that..a project. Not our main family car that we rely on to get to groceries, slurpees, medicine and church. So, we're back in the market for a new car, and will plan on keeping the max unless a dealer wants to give us a decent trade-in for it. (And believe me, my ideas of decent for this car are low) .

In the end, I need to have my family driving around in a car in which they feel safe, and that we can expect to last 5-10 years. And I also hope I get to keep my project car. I have a sentimental attachment to it. :)

-----------------------------------------------------------

So, it's finally time to get our Nissan Maxima through the Maryland safety inspection. Our Kansas plates run out at the end of May. I had the inspection done, and it turns out that a few things need to be brought "up to code" as they say. Namely, the following need to be replaced:

• Steering rack and pinion
• Break rotors (What?! I replaced them both last year! Might be under warranty)
• Front-right tire (Might also be under warranty)
• Some light bulb
• One of the rear view mirrors (cracked and broken)
• Parking brake(not replaced, but adjusted)

Does sound so bad. Everything but the rack and pinion is easy peasy lemon squeezy. My good car guy wants $1200 for all of this work.

$1200? Hmmm. It's a 14 year old car with 145,000 miles on it, 100,000 of which we've put on it over the past 7 years. We seem to have that car in the shop too much lately as well. Is it worth it?

Well, to make a getting-too-long-story shorter, we looked at a bunch of used cars. Everything in our price range doesn't really work for us. And most used car places were willing to give us only $300-$500 for our Maxima!

So, we finally decided to fix it, and keep it going for a few more years. I think it's got another 50k in there. I can fix it for only a few hundred dollars, saving us a ton. It's a big project, and I'm look forward to getting my hands dirty, and keeping our savings where it belongs.

Introducing Jacksons Wepsite...

Jackson wanted to start a wepsite, as he calls them, and he asked for my help.

He eventually wants to sell the parts that break off his toys, but we're starting with a weblog. :) I typed as he dictated the answers to the questions. I added nothing.

In the center ring, I present Jackson, and his wepdamonium shadow poe.

Ok fine...

For hours and hours I could...
--Take Pictures.
--Have fun with Jackson and Cortnie.
--Mess around with Linux.
--Scoot.



I feel best about myself...
--While camping.
--After a successful project at work, or at home.
--After taking a shower.
--Making it to work alive, on the scooter.


I absolutely cannot stand...
--When people make up parking spots.
--When people don't let other people merge while in traffic.
(ok, enough traffic)
--Being "sold" on something, which leads to buyers remorse.
--Being startled, especially when it involves physical contact. (Consider yourself warned.)


I am afraid of...
--Realtors.
--Deep, dark water.
--Sharks coming into my basement. (Hey, it could happen...ask me how.)




I love to splurge by...
--Getting the large popcorn at the movies, and eating it.
--Buying the $6 oil filter, instead of the $3 one.
--Getting a wash with my hair cut. (oh yeah.)







I save by...
--Budgeting our money.
--Buying things second-hand.
--Taking my lunch to work. (Special thanks to Cortnie, who makes it for me most of the time).





I am trying to work on...
--My Maxima.
--My photography skills.
--My journal writing skills.
--My marriage skills.
--My bowstaff skills.




In high school...
--I should have skipped less classes.
--I had great friends.
--I should have taken more mathematics.
--I was Mr. Viking.




In college...
--I started seeing grey hair.
--Met friends that I've talked to nearly every day for almost a decade.
--Only slept 3-4 hours a night.
--Took Calculus II three times. ("...you know, a lot of people go to college for 7 years." "...I know, they're called Doctors.")


I feel I'm a good dad when...
--My son is polite and thoughtful of others.
--When Jackson gives thanks in his prayers for an "Awesome dad."
--When Jackson changes the oil in the truck almost all by himself. (Like he did today!)





I regret...
--Eating that double cheese burger.
--Leaving Kansas.
--Borrowing money from anyone, ever.



I could never have too many...
--Draw-string bags.
--Lenses.
--Cords/Cables.
--Food storages.





I'd like to thank the academy for taking my bribes, the internets for providing most of the pictures, and of course my wife, who read and critiqued my favorites and not-so favorites as they came off the printer, draft after draft. And of course my fans...you know who you are.

xo,
Mattie

Boy emerges from hospital, parents get some sleep...

Master Jackson had his tonsils out last Wednesday. Here are few pictures from the surrounding nonsense. Thanks to everyone to the calls, visits and well-wishes.

Pre-Surgery. Note Pirate slippers, favored Teddy Bear named "Soccer" and bag of hotwheel cars.

Post operation. Drugged to the hilt and feeling terrible.

Next morning. After bleeding WAY too much over night, doctors admitted him to the hospital. So fun.

The iv needle in his arm. He had about 15 needle holes after everything was finished. At one point he woke up from a nightmare yelling "Don't hold my arm! Let go of my arm".

Feeling better. Able to play with play dough, have some visits and cards from cousins and watch some TV.

I have a few more pics that I"ll put up. Short story: he stayed in the hospital for 2 nights so they could get his blood count where it should be, then sent him home. He's doing awesome. Staying in bed, eating the ice creat and Popsicles. Playing the games and hating medicine times.

Photos from trip to Palmyra NY

Over spring break we took a fun little road trip to Palmyra, NY. It was a nice 7 hour drive up in the big rental car. We saw some great Church history sites. We had planned to drive from there to Niagara falls, but the reports of 1.5 feet of show on it's way talked us into coming home early.

We loved the trip, and will defiantly go back. Highlights included the Smith farmstead and home, the Hill Cumorah and the original printing site of the Book of Mormon (Jacksons favorite.)

Here are some photos from the trip. It was really cold, so I didn't take very many. A few more can be seen here.


The Smith home where Joseph and Emma lived. Joseph Smith did some of the translation of the Book of Mormon here. They don't let you go upstairs, but the missionary there told us that when she was young, you could rent a room in the upper floor of this house.

Jackson, standing in the Scared Grove. It was cold, but we really had the place to ourselves.

My family walking from the Sacred Grove to the Smith farmhouse.

Upstairs in the boyhood bedroom of Joseph Smith. It was here that he was taught by Moroni prior to being given the plates.

All three of us in front of the boyhood home of Joseph Smith and his family.

This monument at the top of the Hill Cumorah provided little shelter from the freezing wind! Turns out you can drive to the top instead of walking if you want. We didn't know.


Jackson running down the Hill Cumorah. It seemed a little irreverent, yet fitting for the boy. He had a good time, despite the cold.