Saturday, January 31, 2009

23 and counting

We finished our 23 mile run today, the last long run in our training program before the marathon in 3 weeks. Carrie did pretty well, while I was hanging in there by a thread. Why are we doing this?!? Okay, it's because we're stubborn, this is our 3rd attempt and we need to get this off our to-do list.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

These Boots Are Made for Walkin'...

My mom gave these boots to Nicholas and he had a blast trying them on. He walked a little funny for a couple of minutes and we all had some good laughs.
And here comes Nicholas down the catwalk. Obviously it's all about the boots...pants didn't make the fashion show.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Next Assignment at Work

For those who haven't heard, we'll be moving back to California in mid-March for my next assignment in Chevron's Corporate Treasury department. Just significantly improved our chances of making it to the wedding - wooohooo!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Spots



We went to the Cheetah Outreach this morning and got to pet our very own cheetah. They're beautiful cats and this one looks like he's enjoying all the strokes.
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Friday, January 23, 2009

Formula for Success - Men

After observing others throughout the years and thinking about my own ups & downs, here are my formulas for success:

1. secular approach - 60% hard work day in day out, 30% dealing well with people, 10% smarts

2. religious approach - 50% hard work day in day out, 20% dealing well with people, 20% living worthily of heavenly guidance, 10% smarts

3. honest approach - marry the right woman and keep her happy!

Formula for Success - Women

Never, never, never give up on men!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

President 'Bama

Nicholas can't say it yet, but if he could, I imagine he'd say 'Bama. It was a special moment for us to sit and watch the inauguration as a family. This will likely be the first U.S. president that Nicholas will remember from his youth. We're hoping for the dawning of a brighter day, for new thinking, and for right, but hard choices to be made. I really liked the line from his speech saying we'll extend our hand to every nation, if they'll unclinch theirs.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Let's revive the economy!

Hey, here's an idea. If we can revive the economy with a combination of billions of dollars of stimulus packages, bailouts, and tax cuts, why don't we just take it a step further and do away with taxes altogether? The government obviously has some magic money pot they're tapping to do all this, so wouldn't it help more to give everyone a big boost in disposable income (well at least the 65% of Americans that actually pay any taxes). Well a day of reckoning will have to come. The mentality is not right - it's like the vast throngs of people who want to lose weight by doing anything quick & easy, rather than embracing proper diet & exercise. Stimulating more spending just masks the real issue and prolongs the recovery. I think the answer is for everyone (including the government) to right their own financial situations by controlling their spending and reducing their debt, then the economy can get back on its toes and start growing again in a sustainable manner.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Beach bums

I can't believe we live two minutes from the beach and this is the first time we went. Goes to show you how much else there is to do around here.
Nicholas spent most of his time digging in the sand and having some sand along with chips. Mmmm tasty!
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A little bit of this and a little bit of that

We took a trip to the zoo and were surprised to see the lions active in the middle of the day. Very cool!!












A beautiful sunset view from our deck.
Nicholas has entered the "binkie" stage and loves to drag his blanket around. Of course it spends a lot of its time in the wash now : ) We use the fine art of distraction when we need to get it away from him.
We were sad to see Elder Clare leave but happy that he served such a wonderful mission here in Cape Town. Danki and best wishes in your new adventures.
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