Kade's Connection

2011-11-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Amanda was holding Annie upside down and tickling her neck.

Bear Lake trip

2011-11-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Eric caught the big one this year

First time using chopsticks...she's a pro, just look at all that rice she got!

2011-06-30T20:44:00.000-06:00

2011-06-30T20:41:00.000-06:00

A walk in the park

2011-05-19T19:26:00.000-06:00

The girl likes ice-cream!

2011-05-19T19:24:00.000-06:00

Mantua Ice Fishing

2011-01-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Why I woke up at 4:45am

2010-11-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

BYU vs. USU

2010-10-03T11:13:00.000-06:00

Storming the field

2010-10-03T11:09:00.000-06:00

Jeff trying his best to smile after his team (BYU) was dominated by my team (USU)

2010-10-03T11:07:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the ticket Jeff!

On the field

2010-10-03T11:04:00.000-06:00

Final Score

2010-10-03T11:03:00.000-06:00

Feeding ducks at First Dam

2010-10-03T10:55:00.000-06:00

New Shoes

2010-10-03T10:51:00.000-06:00

2010-10-03T10:50:00.000-06:00

2010-10-03T10:49:00.000-06:00

2010-10-03T10:48:00.001-06:00

2010-10-03T10:48:00.000-06:00

New Shoes

2010-10-03T10:47:00.000-06:00

Annie showing off the new shoes Aunt Amber gave her.

American West Heritage Center

2010-10-03T10:44:00.000-06:00

Annie cruised through this hay maze!

Pool Time

2010-10-03T10:42:00.000-06:00

Annie and Hanna duet

2010-10-03T10:40:00.000-06:00

Mama's little helper

2010-10-03T10:39:00.000-06:00

Postworthy Fish

2010-09-08T22:41:00.000-06:00

>
>

Happy Earth Day To You

2010-04-22T16:51:00.001-06:00

U.S. strategy needs to save the Earth

By Patrick Doherty, Special to CNN

April 22, 2010 2:42 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Patrick Doherty: U.S. grand strategy won the Cold War and World War II
He says the U.S. needs a strategy for sustainability in the 21st century
Doherty says population growth and energy use create huge challenges around the world
A "smart growth" strategy can reduce energy use and rebuild the economy, he says

Editor's note: Patrick Doherty is the director of the Smart Strategy Initiative at the New America Foundation, a think tank that seeks innovative solutions across the political spectrum.

(CNN) -- On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the United States stands at a crossroads. Though the Great Recession appears contained and the U.S. image is improving abroad, the nation remains challenged by war, debt, unemployment, energy, and climate change.

In other words, the triage applied in the economic crisis worked, but the nation still lacks a medium or a long-term strategy. Forty years after that first rally of environmentalists on the National Mall, the best opportunity for a new era of American prosperity and security involves putting sustainability at the center of the Washington's agenda.

To find that new source of long-term prosperity and security, Washington must shift away from crisis management and relearn the art of grand strategy. At its best, American grand strategy enlists our economy and defines our national purpose.

In the Second World War, Washington took over industrial production, armed our British, Russian and Chinese allies, and delivered the coup de grace against the Axis powers.

Less than a decade later, Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower avoided an unwinnable nuclear war and made the East-West conflict a long-term contest of economic and political systems. Our nuclear arsenal would deter aggression, but everyday suburban consumption would win the day. It was in those two episodes that Washington defined the American way of grand strategy: to let our economy do the strategic heavy lifting and minimize the need to use American force.

Today we must return to that fundamental American strategic formula while recognizing our challenges have changed. Twenty years after the end of the Cold War, the new long-term threats are becoming clear. Instead of fascism, communism, or terrorism, in the first half of the 21st century the United States has a two-sided strategic challenge: the inexorable process of global economic inclusion and the rapid depletion of the planet's ecosystem.

The U.N. Development Program estimates that more than 4 billion people are excluded from the legal sector of the global economy, trapped in the informal and black market. As they are gradually included into the global economy, their consumption of energy and raw materials and other goods and services increases dramatically.

A study by the global consulting firm McKinsey warns that under current policies, China will bring 700,000,000 people into its cities by 2030, the world's largest rural-urban migration and a process that will outstrip global production of energy and commodities like cement, copper and plywood. With a recent U.S. military report predicting that oil demand will outstrip supply as early as 2015, today's recession-driven lull in global prices is the exception, not the norm.

Meanwhile, human activity has overwhelmed 60 percent of the life-sustaining services provided by the planetary ecosystem. The Nobel Prize-winning International Panel on Climate Change has raised awareness of this major threat to lives, livelihoods and international stability. But according to U.N.'s Ecosystem Assessment, ecosystem damage goes well beyond climate.

Human activity is depleting earth's ability to manage freshwater, fisheries, soil nutrients, and flood control faster than these capacities are being replaced. With the population growing to 9 billion people, this dynamic will drive significant global conflict, conflict the Pentagon is already anticipating in its four-year planning.

Inclusion and sustainability are America's most serious challenges, but they are also America's most important opportunities. In the 1950s, government policies harnessed the Baby Boom to power a great economic expansion. Instead of treating sustainability as a cost, federal policies could turn the transition to sustainability into a new engine of American prosperity. To do that, however, the government needs to expand its sustainability thinking from a narrow carbon cap-and-trade scheme to a much broader economic transformation.

While pricing carbon is necessary, it is too regressive in the midst of a recession. Transportation costs account for 17 percent for average American households and increasing energy costs would overburden a fragile middle class economy.

Instead, now is the time to reduce America's "vehicle miles traveled." Reducing VMT requires a decisive federal commitment to commuter transit, freight rail, and smart growth. Indeed, if all new communities in the United States were designed "smart" we would reduce carbon emissions 10 percent over 10 years and save smart-growth households $220 billion a year.

More importantly, this strategy puts America back to work, building healthy communities people can afford and have the time to enjoy. Washington can re-dedicate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to extend "location efficient" mortgages (loans that recognize when you drive less, you can afford a higher mortgage) and reform the transportation budget to shape incentives for a market- and community-led transition to smart growth.

Then, after we build an economic buffer back into our society, we can use tax policy to shift taxes off wages, which we want more of, and onto carbon and other forms of waste, of which we want less.

As America transitions to a sustainable economy at home, Washington will need to work with our international allies to negotiate a new international commitment to expand smart growth and sustainable trade globally. Europe and Japan are already primed for such a move, while China and India are both desperate for a green global development path that can sustainably bring the rest of their massive populations into the global economy. The sooner we act, the sooner we will end what is becoming an era of resource nationalism and skip the price shocks, scarcity, and regional war that would ultimately result.

On October 9, 2009, President Obama signed an executive order outlining "an integrated strategy for sustainability in the Federal Government." That was a good start, but 40 years after the first Earth Day, it is time to think bigger.

2010-04-19T16:20:00.000-06:00

Marcus - One month left! You better be practicing.

Take time to stop and enjoy the good things in life, even in bad situations.

2010-04-19T16:16:00.001-06:00

Our first Betta, what should we name him?

2010-03-26T20:14:00.000-06:00

2010-03-26T20:13:00.000-06:00

2010-03-23T18:44:00.001-06:00

2010-02-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

This tree in front of our home got so much ice on it that it bowed
down in submission to the elements for about a week. It has since
resurrected back to it's original, vertical state.

2010-02-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Frozen North of Utah

2010-02-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Re: ANSWERS!!!

2010-01-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

I showed a coworker of mine, Mark Rasmuson, the website I previously posted and some of us at work had a few questions. So Mark emailed them our questions. He received the below response within a few hours.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <support@escapeearth2012.com>
Date: 2010/1/28
Subject: RE: Purchase Questions
To: Mark Rasmuson <mbrfoto@gmail.com>

Dear Mark,

Please see our answers to your questions below.

>1. Have you considered arranging for double pods? Some of us would like company during the ride because it might get lonely.

Yes, we still have double and family pods available. Just let us know what you need.

>2. There has been considerable interest in the zero-gravity room, but there is some question about whether alcohol will be allowed there. Can you confirm that we can take our drinks from the mini-bar to the zero-gravity room?

Yes, for those who enjoy the night life scene we will host happy hour in the Zero Gravity Room on a regular basis with alcoholic beverages available for purchase. No underage drinking of course. Fun games such as Anti-Gravity Beer Pong will be arranged.

>3. From where will the USS Ark 2012 launch? Will we need to plan to meet together? Will there be hotel accommodations upon arrival to our destination?

Don't find us, we'll find you. Just make sure you carry your USS Ark 2012 ID at all times as December 21, 2012 approaches.

>4. We would like to see pictures of the Ark, if that is at all possible.

Unfortunately these documents are extremely confidential. However, if you picture in your head the most amazing space ship you've ever imagined and multiply it by 1 billion, then you will have a pretty accurate image to go by.

>5. What is the occupancy capacity? Also, what is the current vacancy percentage?

Also confidential, however I can tell you that space is limited and we're filling up quickly as I type this email to you now. My professional advice as a USS Ark 2012 customer service representative is to waste no time in booking your tickets today!

>With regard to purchase options, is there a group discount rate? We would like to offer $25.00 for five tickets. How would be arrange this kind of transaction?

If you purchase 5 of the "Superluminal" ticket packages I can offer you a 20% discount.

>There has been some discussion about a competitor's offer. The competitor is offering the opportunity to pack along a personal avatar. Is that an option on USS Ark 2012?
Please don't be tricked by other scams. We are the ONLY official provider of 2012 Escape Tickets and are currently the forerunners in Avatar technology. We hope for this technology to be available by 2012, but we cannot guarantee it as of yet. We will keep you posted.

Sincerely,

USS Ark 2012 Customer Service Crew

Get your tickets now!!

2010-01-28T14:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.escapeearth2012.com/index.html

I'll see you in the 360 degree stargazing deck!

I want this in designer leopard!

2010-01-27T13:58:00.001-07:00

Https://www.buynecky.com/flare/next

Fwd: My Top 25 Most Played on Itunes

2010-01-27T11:52:00.001-07:00

I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab For Cutie

I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
Dog Problems - Format

Be Calm - Fun.
Existentialism On Prom Night -Straylight Run
Hands In The Sky (Big Shot) - Straylight Run

Snails - Format

Rescued - Jack's Mannequin
Everlong (Acoustic) - Foo Fighters

Soul Meets Body - Death Cab For Cutie

For The Best - Straylight Run

Prelude 12/21 - A.F.I.
Come Back - The Early November
Career Day - Format
If Work Permits - Format

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service
The Boys of Summer - The Ataris
Living In Your Letters - Dashboard Confessional
Oceans - Format
Lillaby - Jack's Mannequin
A Slow Descent - Straylight Run
Passenger Seat - Death Cab For Cutie
Pretty Pretty - The Early November
New Year's Project - Further Seems Forever
Paris In Flames - Thursday

2009-12-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

2009-12-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

2009-12-21T08:07:00.001-07:00

2009-12-21T08:06:00.002-07:00

2009-12-21T08:06:00.001-07:00

Making Faces

2009-12-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

Bundle Up!

2009-12-13T14:57:00.001-07:00

2009-12-13T14:56:00.001-07:00

Amanda giving Annie her first taste of snow

2009-12-13T14:55:00.001-07:00

She didn't like this.

2009-12-13T14:54:00.001-07:00

2009-12-05T14:54:00.001-07:00

Annie's new hat Great Grandma Leu made for her

2009-12-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

2009-11-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

Aunt Sami reading the fairy book

2009-11-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Annies first taste of mashed potatos.

She learns new things everyday...today it was how to use the computer.

2009-11-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

2009-11-23T19:09:00.001-07:00

"I just bought stock"

2009-11-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

She loves it in there!

2009-11-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Annies new favorite seat

2009-11-06T19:14:00.001-07:00

Bear Lake Cutt

2009-10-29T08:52:00.000-06:00

First Lake Trout

2009-10-29T08:29:00.001-06:00

Driving through Logan Canyon

2009-10-24T15:45:00.001-06:00

Early Morning Fishing at Bear Lake

2009-10-24T15:44:00.001-06:00

Bear Lake Sunrise

2009-10-24T15:42:00.000-06:00

Sunday at my Dads

2009-10-19T14:08:00.000-06:00

Annie in the jumper Aunt Amber gave her

2009-09-21T21:33:00.000-06:00

50 candles and she got em all!...without lighting her hair on fire like before!

2009-09-21T21:32:00.001-06:00

Abby and Shelby driving at the park

2009-09-21T21:30:00.002-06:00

Amanda on the Alpine Slide

2009-09-21T21:30:00.001-06:00

Awesome rainbow after a loud mountain storm

2009-09-21T21:29:00.000-06:00

My moms surprise 50th b-day party at Snowbird

2009-09-21T21:28:00.001-06:00

Nice swing!

2009-09-13T12:05:00.001-06:00

Amanda's first time golfing

2009-09-13T12:04:00.000-06:00

Smiling Annie

2009-09-12T15:57:00.000-06:00

Summer 09 Fishing

2009-08-08T14:46:00.000-06:00

The Windrivers

2009-08-08T14:33:00.000-06:00

2009-07-18T21:02:00.001-06:00

Church time

2009-06-29T19:33:00.001-06:00

Lunchtime Fishing

2009-06-26T16:05:00.001-06:00

I caught this beauty on my lunch break today.

2009-06-26T16:03:00.001-06:00

Annie with Grammy

2009-06-13T13:53:00.001-06:00

Break dancing baby

2009-06-13T13:19:00.001-06:00

2009-06-13T13:15:00.000-06:00

Ninja baby

2009-06-13T13:14:00.000-06:00

2009-05-30T21:15:00.001-06:00

Popeye impersonation

2009-05-17T18:29:00.000-06:00

Annie

2009-05-12T16:44:00.001-06:00

She likes sticking her tongue out

2009-05-12T13:07:00.001-06:00

7 pounds, 19 1/2 in

2009-05-12T09:15:00.000-06:00

Best birthday present ever!

2009-05-12T01:03:00.000-06:00

2009-05-03T19:37:00.000-06:00

O Baby Where Art Thou

2009-05-03T19:03:00.003-06:00

The due date has come, and is quickly going. No signs of baby coming yet. We are so excited to see her and to see who she takes after in what areas. We were able to find one thing about Annie by her not coming today. She takes after her mother when it comes to being late for things.

10 Questions

2009-04-27T17:37:00.006-06:00

Let me just answer these questions again for everyone.

NO! Amanda has not had the baby yet.
YES! Her belly is big, that happens when you are pregnant.
NO! We are not nervous, more anxious (ok Amanda might be a little nervous).
YES! We are excited, the end is in sight (or should I say the beginning?)
NO! We do not know when the baby is coming, but hopefully soon.
YES! Her due date is this Sunday.
NO! We have not bought everything we need, but almost.
Yes! We are having a girl and naming her Annie.
UPDATE
NO! She did not have the baby today, on her due date.
YES! We will let you know when anything changes.

First Fish of the Year

2009-04-21T18:00:00.002-06:00

This was a test post. I signed up to be able to post to my blog from my phone and wanted to see if it worked.
Eric Sargent and I went up to 3rd Dam last week and caught 5 browns.

Cute As A Bug

2009-04-20T16:27:00.004-06:00

I've found myself in the baby section at stores quite often over the past few months. I've noticed some strange sayings on baby clothes such as "Cute as a Bug" or "Cute as a Button". What is this supposed to mean exactly? We received a few clothing items with the "Cute as a Bug" saying on it and I'm trying to figure out if they were meant as an insult. It might as well just say "Ugly, Scary Baby". Isn't that what most girls think of bugs? And what makes a button cute? That's like saying plain and common. Where did these sayings originate and how did they become popular? Another common saying is, I hope you "sleep like a baby". Who really wants to sleep like a baby? Might as well just say I hope you cry yourself to sleep, drool all over, and wake up in the middle of the night hungry and with underwear soaked in your own urine. What a horrible thing to wish upon people!

The Subtle Suggestions of the Elevator

2009-03-26T14:05:00.004-06:00

I ride the elevator at work everyday, and there is a voice recording in the elevator that says "going up" or "going down" when you get in and press the floor button. I've noticed that when it says "going up" its a really cheerful, optomistic voice. The tone on up rises high at the end.
It is the complete opposite when it says "going down". They say it in a pessimistic, depressing voice with a deep falling tone. I almost expect her to keep talking and say "going down...to Lucifer's Lair!" (with a sinister laugh at the end).
I wonder if management at the office building here did this on purpose. So when we're riding up at the beginning of the day to start work its all cheery "going up" like we're moving on up in life. But when we leave at the end of the day its the sad and depressing "going down" as if to say no place is better than work and the best part of your day is over.
I wonder, if the tones on up and down were switched so there was a down tone on up and an up tone on down, would people get confused and think they hit the wrong button? I'm probably the only one who pays attention to this anyway; just a crazy side effect of learning a tonal language in Thailand I guess.
In Thai there are five different tones. You can say the same word in different tones and it has different meanings. For example "suay" can mean beautiful or worthless. When I first went to Thailand I tried to tell someone they had a nice bike, but I guess I said it was worthless because my tone was wrong. Whoops! Another common mistake is saying "khii chaang" which means ride elephants, but if you say the word "khii" wrong it means crap elephants. Big difference! So I have learned to pay careful attention to the tones in words.

My Favorite Poem

2009-03-25T17:11:00.002-06:00

INVICTUS

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

Terminal Velocity

2009-03-24T12:26:00.008-06:00

The latest extreme sports idea. Take a plane as high as you possibly can. And then of course, jump out. No parachute, just a snowboard and a suite that has flaps between the arms and legs like a flying squirrel. The flaps would allow you to control your direction and speed. Head towards a tall, steep, snowy mountain peak. I think that if you hit the steep peak at just the right angle the snow could absorb the energy from the fall until you are able to gain control. We've seen people jump from hellicopters and do the same thing, we've seen skiers in the olympics jump down half the mountain, and we've seen some huge cliff drops by skiiers and snowboarders. There has to be some height where you reach terminal velocity on your fall. Therefore anything above that would be insignificant, so why not go all out? or I guess all up.
It's like the old story that if you drop a penny from the Empire State Building it will get going so fast that it will be like a bullet by the time it reaches the ground and could go right through some unexpecting pedestrian's head. Cool story, but unfortunatley terminal velocity says otherwise. The penny can only get going so fast before it hits a maximum speed. It would hurt more to have someone with a good arm throw a penny at you than to have it fall on you from any height. Think about it, if you drop a cotton ball from the Empire State Building its not going to turn into a cotton bullet.
The same logic could apply to my new extreme sport idea. You might as well jump from as high as possible because anything above several hundred yards be about the same.
Of course I'm not going to do it, but I guarantee there is someone stupid ...uh...I mean daring enough to give it a try. Sure you might get hurt, but with lady luck on your side you wouldn't die and you would have an awesome story to tell.

Thoughts While Bored at Work

2009-03-23T11:25:00.004-06:00

Kade's Theory on Color Confusion:

I propose that individuals with different color eyes see different colors.
One cannot know that the color a person with blue eyes looks at and calls green is in fact the exact same color that someone with brown eyes looks at and calls green. The person with blue eyes may be seeing the same color that the brown eyed individual identifies as yellow, but because both were raised to identify that color as green, that is what they call it. They may actually be seeing completely different colors.

Unfortunately the only way I can think of to test this theory is to conduct an eyeball transplant. Any volunteers?

Oct-

2009-03-23T10:39:00.005-06:00

Octagon, Octopus, Octuplets and of course Octomom. What do they all have in common? 8...something right; 8 sides, 8 legs, 8 kids. So my question is, why is it that October is the 10th month and not the eighth?
October originally got its name from being the 8th month of the Roman calendar, but when January and February were added to make the Gregorian calendar October was bumped to the 10th month.
I think October should switch back to the 8th month where August currently is. According to my sources (Wikipedia of course) August used to be named Sextilis but it was changed to honor Ceasar Augustus. Surely Augustus wouldn't mind having the 10th month named after him instead. He's dead anyway.
Think of how much nicer it would be for trick-or-treaters to hit the streets in summer instead of freezing in fall. There are no August holidays that would be affected by the change, come to think of it, there are no August holidays period. August is the only month without a major holiday in the US. But don't feel too bad for August, it is recognized as National Goat Cheese Month. Again, I don't think the goats would mind switching to the 10th month either.
So why not make the change? President Obama is all about "change". Maybe I'll write him a letter....

Twins?

2008-12-20T21:38:00.003-07:00

For those of you (like Celeste) who don't quite understand my stupid humor, we are not really having twins.