I had to get on the roof. When I get sick to my stomach I get really sick. Violently sick. It’s icky. And the timing was rather poor for the violently-icky illness I had over the holiday, because our chimbley was clogged* and I had to get on the roof to fix it. Until I …

My parents recently celebrated their fifty-year wedding anniversary. They were married in 1959 in the Salt Lake Temple. They spent their golden anniversary sitting in the classroom, preparing to serve as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They will serve in Hyderabad, India, for an anticipated 18 months (assuming their visa …

“The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.“ Didja recognize that? If not, my friend, it’s time to go back and read the United States Constitution. In fact, I think our nation would be quite a different place nowadays if more people (especially in Washington) were familiar with that …

I got home late last night, and was relaxing in my cushy chair with Fast Company, possibly my favorite magazine (tech, innovation, business, great graphics, what’s not to love?) when here came Abby in her jammies. Sometimes the kids have trouble staying in their beds at night so I was preparing to respond when she …

I have a good job, but I’m keeping my eyes open. Any suggestions? This October I will have been at this company for 11 years. It has financed the purchase of our home on three separate occasions. Its insurance has paid for the births of five of our children; its dental plan, for all our …

It’s been pretty warm around here. If you live in Tucson or Manhattan you have my condolences, but “pretty warm” for us is above 90 degrees, with 70% humidity or higher. Our SIP house stays delightfully cool, and when it’s hot I’d rather be inside. We leave all the windows wide open all night, and …

Okay, a few more pictures of our hike. Here’s Becca on the tippity-top of Chicago Peak, shooting the opposite direction of the image I posted yesterday. This one gives a better sense of altitude. Here we are on the trail, heading out. The ridge above leads to Chicago Peak, so named (I assume) because the …

Well it doesn’t look like it here, but it was quite a climb to get on top of this peak in Montana’s Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. This is the only way I could situate the camera to take a picture of all of us while still giving a sense of the terrain. From the left it’s …

At some point, when you’re a grown-up, you run out of plan. When you’re a kid, you always know what you’re going to do next. Go to kindergarten, go to school, get out of school for summer vacation, go back to school. Elementary, junior high, high school, college, mission, college, marriage, kids, career. Then what? …

We were headed down the mountain on Saturday before I remembered to ask Rich to get a picture of us. Rich still took the picture I’m posting, but it’s us. (Looks like his camera’s tilted too.) So here is Emma and me a hundred feet below the summit. Most of the peaks you see in …