geecru

end of summer fun

2009-08-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a lot of fun living in Day Break this summer. Seren has taken after her parents and has started training for the Iron Man Triathalon. Her best arm work out is doing pull-ups, just like her dad.

This summer we were able to do a lot of things, walking by the temple, washing the car, sailing, visiting Spring City, rescue fish, walks to the park and lake, and playing soccer. Thanks Joanna for letting us stay here. Thanks Utah for being great during the summer.

Seren loves dancing. She has recently shown us that she gets all her rhythm from her mom. Thanks mom. Her favorite songs are Hollaback Girl, Fergalicious and Outkast.

pioneers/camping

2009-08-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

This year we were able to spend some time up in the mountains. Not to mention the two family reunions, but also at Jessie W. place for another bar-b-que and a lovely camping trip with Grandma and Grandpa Gee. It was Seren's first camping trip, but it was quite a luxurious camp out if you ask me. We had all we could eat food, and fun. They even let us sleep in their trailer. I hope Seren doesn't expect this type of a camp out from now on. We also got to visit Laurie and Jo's cabin in Spring City. It is coming along quite nicely. It's really looking neat and I think it will be fun for all when it is all done, and we can all go there and sleep up stairs in their master bed room :)

4th of July

2009-08-04T12:59:00.002-07:00

This year was Seren's first 4th of July. Though it was a late night for her, she got to see sparklers and fireworks from Thanks Giving Point. Thanks to Ryan and Rhiannon we had an excellent bar-b-que dinner, and lovely roasted nectarines and fried bananas on ice cream dessert and the "best view I've ever had" for fire works from their balcony :) thanks guys.

temple trips

2009-08-04T12:59:00.001-07:00

With the conclusion of the construction of the Oquirre Temple here at Day Break they have had an open house here all summer. We have taken full advantage of it. Seren and I have walked and run numerous times up to the temple. When Brennen was at work, I would take pictures of Seren and send them to him, so he could think of us :)

Brennen was able to usher for a morning. He was able to memorize a 10 stanza poem while he was there, so he considered his time well spent.

My family came up and brought some friends from Reno Nevada. Amy Jo and her sister-in-law walked up there with us, and also my grandma and some cousins and aunts came too.

Our friends Ryan and Rhiannon came too. It's nice having the temple close by, because I get to see it every day whether I drive by or go running by.

reunions

2009-08-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

This summer has been full of family reunions, and we were glad we were able to make them all; seeing as they were all in Utah, and we're back in Utah.

Seren and I went to stay in Brigham City for a few days while Brennen flew back to Texas to go empty our stuff from storage and bring it back. We got to see my Dad's friend from collage Dwane, and Seren got to hang out with her aunt cami, liesel and uncle robby.

Seren and Brennen both got to meet my Uncle Clyde and Aunt Carol Dilg. Brennen and Seren haven't gotten to meet any dilg's yet. We had a nice talk with them, and were glad they stopped by.

We had a Gee/Anderson/Robison reunion at the Cabin in Park City on the 4th of July. That was a lot of fun. Seren like the cherry pit spitting contest, and the jeapordy game her parents won :) Thanks for the excellent bar-b-que and treats.

We also went to a Poelman reunion this summer at the end of July. It was up at East Canyon Resort and we had a lot of fun. Many people that we knew and didn't know....but above all, there was great food!

Thanks every one for all their hard work, and for talking to us when we showed up:)

swimming summer

2009-08-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

This summer we've been lucky to be by a pool so we have all been able to work on our tans. Brady and Olivia showed Seren how they got their tans in their plastic Target pool.

Brennen got to go swimming with Seren for the first time. Super fun.

crawling?!!

2009-08-04T12:27:00.002-07:00

At 8 months Seren was able to start crawling. Some might not think it too glamorous, but Spider Man told me personally he likes her form. She can get around quite quickly, and even crawled to the other side of the room to the basement stairs and had a spill, thanks to her mom taking too long of a bathroom break. Sorry Seren.

8 month hair cut

2009-08-04T12:27:00.001-07:00

Seren's hair was a little out of control. She kind of wished she were still in Texas, yet wanted to fit in here at Day Break....so she was featuring a mohawk/mullet hair do. I decided to get the scissors out and fix it, only Brennen disappointed me and Seren in the end by saying he loved her new dooo, because it made her look like a boy. Hhmmmmmm well, it looks a lot better now, and it is growing out nicely.

Old School

2009-06-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

This is simply a preview of mine and brennen's christmas present to every one. So, if you have more pictures you would like added, be sure to get them to me and I'll do my best to add them. Also, if a picture is mislabeled please tell me (there are some baby pictures that i'm not sure who they are). Of course, if you don't want a picture to be shown, tell me, and I'll take it out. i had to divide it in to two slide shows, because the limit is 300 pictures....and I had more than that.

Summer to Remember

2009-06-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Since I'm getting a little better at my blog posts....I thought I would improve my "hawaii" post. I wasn't happy with how my pictures turned out. So, here are pictures to remember our trip to hawaii that we took just last year.......I think it's time we go back; right Joanna, Rich, Garrett, Morgan, Leah, Gabes, Laurie, Chris, Chelsea, Mel, Roy, ...and by the way, I think Miristi, Christina and Shelby should come this time. We should include them this time:) Oh and I guess Jessica and Eric and Joe too....right ;) And I promise, I'll remember my camera, and I'll take more pictures of everyone.

Morocco

2009-06-14T17:27:00.001-07:00

I want to share with you all the crazy and wild days of my life before I met Brennen. Well, actually they are just my pictures from Morocco. I've been trying to figure out what to do with them, so I hope you will indulge me...I just want Seren to think her mom is cool....and not too boring :) Morocco was one of the funnest things I've ever done. I hope to get back some day. I went on a 10 day trip for my plant genetics job that I had when I worked at BYU. We were trying to incorporate quinoa into the lives of the Moroccan natives. Quinoa is a high protein grain that could help improve the diet and the lives of malnourished individuals in countries like Morocco.

Weather or Whether

2009-06-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

We were able to go on a nice trip to Seattle Washington (thanks to a grant we received from the Rich Foundation). We stayed in this beautiful house and all that we had to do was clean up before we left.....
It was sunny and warm and beautiful in Seattle, which seems to be the case every time we are lucky enough to go there. It was actually the weekend of our 2 year anniversary (May 24th). I am pleased say that Brennen and I are still happily married, (if Brennen has told anyone differently, just know that what is said on the blog is binding and eternal, and what is said on the blog is truth, and cannot be contradicted .... and whatever is said on the blog will forever stand as scripture!) and we are especially glad to have our beautiful Seren added to our family. We love her so much. Here's a quick video of our family history.

I think this house that we stayed at had the coolest driveway I've ever seen. I wonder who they contracted to do it?

Could it be that we scared the wet Seattle weather into Utah? It seems so this summer. We recently had a river next to our house, and our own personal lake in the back yard....complete with a flooding basement window. Luckily we got that under control quickly. Brennen worked hard diverting the various streams of wood bark, while Seren and I watched to make sure Brennen's deluxe umbrella didn't attract any lightning.

Here are just some cute pictures of Seren that we took while it was raining so much outside. Seren has officially started crawling. She started crawling at 8 months of age, and we can hardly keep track of her.

We went to eat a birthday lunch in Provo at Scenic View for Ryan's Birthday on the 28th of May. We had delicious tacos and strawberry ice cream sundays. It was a good menu choice, if I do say so myself.

Happy Birthday Uncle Ryan

What's One More?!!!!!

2009-06-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

It's true, another wedding. This one was in Idaho, and so Brennen and Seren and I took our first road trip since we came back from Texas. Seren did really well on the drive up and back. She slept most of the way.
We were so excited to visit with the "Idaho" cousins, since the last time we'd seen many of them was when Brennen and I were still dating. Many hadn't seen Seren, and she wanted to meet her second cousins :)
It was great to catch up and see Brinton (who was the reason why we went) and see Caleb and Joan's new house and German Shepherd dog, and Kira, who looked almost just like Seren. A man at the temple thought Kira and Seren were twins. It was good to see Emily and Dave, and Monica, and Seren and I got to meet Jason and Jacob for the first time.
Congratulations to Brinton and Casidy on their wedding, and we hope to visit Idaho again some time soon.

Family Activies

2009-05-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to visit family again since we have come back to Utah. Seren went to see Uncle Ryan in Provo. They hadn't seen each other for 4 months. Uncle Ryan had so many animal toys that made sounds like real chirping birds; Seren loved it. She can't wait to go back and play with Uncle Ryan's toys.

Seren also went to watch Uncle Robby play in state tennis at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. He was on the second doubles team. Robby and his partner did very well. They played two games on Friday and won them both. Then on Saturday they won their first game and lost the second. They took second place, and walked away with a nice medal. Congradulations!!

Team Work

Sweet Tennis Skills

Now I would like to present to you......the talented, one and only, first ever, Feet Catching Football Playing athletes. You had better be impressed. Jo Gee, was a sensation, he never missed a catch, and so we therefore have decided it's not a fluke, but Jo Gee actually has a talent we never knew he had. The question now is....will he go Pro? One can only calculate when that amazing day will come. Also, a big thanks to Shelby for his perfect QB skills....we couldn't have done it with out him. And Garrett gets the award for the luckiest catch of them all.

Watch a Pro

Shelby

Garrett

Weddings: are you kidding me?!

2009-05-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

As you all probably know we recently had a couple of weddings in the family. Garrett and Jessica, and Chris and Eric. (I hope I spelled your names right... if I didn't comment on my blog and I'll fix it). Congratulations to all... and to all the newly weds, we hope you are ready to have kids, cuz Seren is sibling hungry, and her future sibling needs cousins her age. ( jk)

Ok, so we had two weddings, one was a Poppy Red wedding, and the other one was a Purple wedding. See if you can guess which was which.

I hope you like all the pictures....

On Behalf of the Gee Nation...

2009-05-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

On behalf of the Gee Nation
We'd like to extend a Congratulation
For reaching this special Destination.

Thanks to your constant Dedication
You've received a degree in Multiplication.

We're so glad you rose to the Occasion
Despite all cliches and Speculation
That perhaps you belonged on a Plantation.

Learning math can be such a Tribulation
And because of this you came to the Realization
That perhaps after some longs days of Meditation
You might teach some kids a few skills in Numeration.

So, with this poem of simple Dedication,
And perhaps lacking in sufficient Punctuation
Here's to say, we're so proud of your
BYU Graduation.

Love, Seren and McKell

A Few Firsts

2009-04-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

Since Seren has reached her 6 month mark, we decided to start treating her like a BIG girl. This includes:

her First hair cut, her First solid foods, her First sushi party:), her First BIG girl bath, her First dancing gig and her First Easter Sunday (aka family pictures....again).

FIRST HAIR CUT

BEFORE

AFTER

FIRST SOLIDS (RICE CEREAL)

MMmmmmmmmmm

FIRST SUSHI PARTY

Notice Seren's skills with the chop sticks (lower left hand corner).

Happy Birthday Ryan

Thanks Rhi for the food!

FIRST BIG GIRL BATH!

FIRST DANCING GIG

FIRST EASTER SUNDAY

California Here We Come!

2009-04-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

While Brennen was driving thousands of miles from Texas back to Utah, Seren and I decided to take a detour to California. It had been sooooo long since we had seen the cousins, and we wanted to show them how big Seren was. Also, we couldn't let the cousins have their ONE year birthday party with out us. Especially if a swimming pool was involved. I am pleased to announce that Seren might be a whole 6 months younger, but she's the fastest swimmer of them ALL!
Grandma Mel and Papa Roy, again were so nice as to let us stay at their place. Seren and I went on walks around Balboa Island, and shopping trips at Fashion Island.

Balboa Island

This was one of our walks around Balboa Island


TT
Seren only travles with the fast, and the furious.

MARCH MADDNESS
Pre-game show

POOL PARTY

Getting ready to go to the pool

Who is this guy!?$#@

Seren's First Swim

Hot Tub Hotties!?!

End of first day in the pool.

Seren's Second Attempt
(by the way this was the day Seren won the swimming race)

Party Goers

Happy Birthday Olivia, Brady and Violet

Papa Roy and Mama Mel

All Smiles! Thanks to our wonderful hosts!

Great-Grandma Eppie

Seren was so excited to meet her great-grandma. Even though Eppie had to be told four times that they were related (maybe she just didn't believe it, because of Seren's skin color) we still love grandma Eppie with all our hearts! I was excited to meet her too, for the first time. She told me her favorite color is light blue, that her favorite food is rice, that her dog's name is Ginger, that she likes to go shopping when she has money, and her favorite thing to do is sew.

Year -to-Date

2009-04-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sooooooo, I really have a lot to catch up on. Here are some pictures that sum up our lives from Utahns, to Texans, to Utahns again.

Utah

Utah "Folk"

Arizona "High Class Livin"

First encounter with a... "Roy"

We had to watch where we were walking. Seems as though we weren't the only ones "squatting" at the Henderson's residence.

PAUVI

We were thankful that Pauvi let us share the Texas house with him. He helped to scare away deer, skunks, and stray cats. He was a great guard dog, except when there was a lightning storm :)

His favorite movies were: The Sound of Music, and Kungfu Panda.... (same as Seren oddly enough).

DANCING SEREN (texas style)

My birthday cake

Melody Irish made this cake for me. It was a double decker, and was delicious.

Austin Texas

We decided to take a trip to see Brennen's friend Jeff Paul and his wife Courtney and their two kids. They showed us what it was like to be a real Texan. We had Texas bar-b-que at a 5 Star place, that I don't remember the name of. But we got meat on construction paper, and white bread and plastic knives. It was tasty and messy. Brennen surprised me by buying me some oreo ice cream to wash it all down. Thanks to the Paul's hospitality and influence, and also Grandma Mels generosity, Seren decided to start sporting her cowgirl boots!

PERKS OF PECAN

There were a lot of perks for living in Texas. There was a nice club house, where we ate dinner. There was also a tennis court. I had a friend Daniela, from Mexico, come an visit the last week we were in Texas. We played tennis, took her around in the golf cart, and showed her around Granbury Town Square.

PECAN PLANTATION

One of Seren's most favorite things to do was to go on walks and runs at the Pecan Plantation. (even though she fell asleep most of the time). There was hardly any traffic, perfect 80 degree weather, and beautiful scenery. There were always deer and wild turkeys running around. Birds of all colors, like vultures, crows, hawks, blue birds, red birds, yellow birds. Once Me, Brennen and Seren went for a walk, and we were talking about all the animals that lived in pecan (including the skunks and possums) and we wished we could see a fox. When we got home we looked out our back window, and two foxes ran across the lawn. They were so pretty, and sleek. We do miss our walks in Pecan. 

Texas Family

Patti and her boys were great! We sure miss having dinner with them. And we couldn't have survived with out the help of Patti. She saved Brennen's life, literally. And she taught Seren how to speak Spanish. Thanks to her, we have a bi-lingual daughter :)

A Glance at the Life of Seren Gee......thus far

2009-04-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

There are a few more pictures I would like to put up of Seren....of course.... I thought it would be fun to put some earlier pictures up of her, and her now, so you could see the difference; of how much she has grown.

OCTOBER 6 2008

NOVEMBER 6 2008

DECEMBER 2008

JANUARY 2009

FEBRUARY 2009

MARCH 2009

APRIL 2009

A Ballad -by Seren Gee

2009-02-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of life,
I look at my surroundings....and I see little strife

The other day my dad purch--ased me a Bumbo

the only problem is it makes my feet go num-bo

I asked my mom "how come Yo!"
She said it's because you're growin' like an Afro !#@###$%
So, since I've been growin' my smile has gotten flashy

flashy, flashy

I guess it's because I'm wearing styles that are so classy

I keep telling my grandma I don't need any bling, cuz my skin is so shiney

Especially after my mom washes my hiney ......... Hiney

And so continues my life here in Granbury

my MOM &

my DAD
helping write my story.
If you want, some day I'll mail you the recipe !#***%!

Peace out - - - - -Seren Gee

In Lov More With Seren

2009-02-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Seren asked me if I could begin assembling a portfolio of her that she could take to an agency. Even though I appeased her and her mother by getting some gigs as a substitute teacher she still concerns herself with our financial welfare. After months of lobbying her mother for the teat I advised her to take such skills to Washington to snag us all a free lunch or six.
She is really changing on a daily basis. She usually picks up an interesting habit, only to kick it a day later. Wish I could kick the bottle that fast. Lately she enjoys spitting raspberry bubbles whenever she begins to grow bored of our entertainment.
As of yesterday she sat up 3 times for
over 10 seconds, things got really exciting
around here.

Seren enjoys dancing with me in the kitchen. Her fav artists are Kylie Minogue, Nas, Flight of the Conchords, Mraz, and Fergie. Don't ask me where she gets such taste from (it's McKell). She also enjoys ESPNHD, taunting house dogs, and listening to podcasts while on my hip.

This is one of Seren's sunday dresses, thanks to Grandma Mel.

We really like Seren's Dr. Seuss one-zie and her hard core camo shoes from Miristi!

Also one of Brennen's favorite things to do is to take pictures of Seren while she's sleeping. He always says shes "so stickin' cute", and of course that is when she is most vulnerable, and isn't squirming around.

In Lov with Gov

2009-01-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

That rascal Madoff took advantage of innocent get-rich-quickies, what an atrocity! The gov should expand and do something about this!

For more, click on the Cafe Hayek link below...

Baby Craze!

2008-12-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

What more can I say.....it's a ....

Baby Craze!

Olivia, Brady, Violet, Seren

Sooooo Cute!

Baby Blessing: Seren McKell Gee

2008-12-03T13:02:00.001-08:00

Seren was blessed by her father Brennen on November 30, 2008. Her full name is Seren McKell Gee. I was worried Brennen would try and change her name during the blessing, but he said he wasn't even tempted. We love her name.

Thanks to all that made it on both sides of the family. We had a wonderful time, and are so happy to have Seren in our lives.

Thank you Grandma Mel for Seren's beautiful blessing dress. She looked so cute. She had the bonnet on during the blessing, and when Brennen showed her to the congregation, she woke up just to give everyone a smile and then went back to sleep. They said she looked so cute, and that her dress was so beautiful. I couldn't agree more!

Mules!

2008-12-03T12:53:00.001-08:00

Brennen's dad planned a mule trip for the "guys" up Dry Creek. They had a really good time. Well, Brennen's dad did, and we're glad Brennen made it back alive. Thanks Bodell for being such a nice mule. By the way, too bad Rich couldn't make it.

Family, Cousins and Thanks Giving

2008-12-03T12:31:00.001-08:00

Seren got to meet her uncle Shelby and aunt Christina and her cousins Olivia and Brady for the first time over the Thanks Giving break.

Seren loves her cousin Olivia. She says whites should stick together. It's safer that way.

Cousins Olivia and Brady

In case you didn't notice there are four generations in this picture.

"Brady, I am your father!"

Please drink responsibly!

Nothing like just hanging with the girls....or is it guys?!

Happy Thanks Giving! There was a full house in Highland this year. Were glad everyone was able to come...even the four dogs got along with the four babies ok.

Meeting Friends

2008-12-03T12:27:00.001-08:00

We've been trying to get Seren to be more social. She seems to be a real home-body, and is usually shy in larger groups. We really need to work on her people skills.

Soccer Fans

2008-12-03T12:22:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we went to see Garrett play a soccer game in the indoor practice field on campus. Cousins Leah and Violet came too. Seren loves soccer, and plans on playing for team USA when she's older :)

First Day of Church

2008-12-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

For Seren's first day of church we dressed her in blue, and then everyone thought she was a boy, even though she was wearing a night gown. Seren wasn't too happy about it, but Brennen loved it because he insists she is a tomboy.

.

Face Off

2008-12-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

Brennen and Seren have way too much fun together. Who do you think won this Face Off?

In my opinion...

2008-11-13T05:43:00.000-08:00

It wasn't laissez-faire.

The Law

2008-11-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

No that's not Joseph Smith, nor any mormon for that matter. It's Frederic Bastiat and he wrote a book called The Law, just a few years after Joseph himself was doin' his thang.

So I read this book and it blew my mind. It puts our current government into perspective. I sure wish every person (I'm a person, you're a person, Brett's a person, that person over there's a person) would read this. It's like the frog/boiling water analogy. You can't boil a frog if the water is already hott, otherwise it'll jump out. You have to gradually raise the temperature. Well the government has succeeded in gradually raising the temperature.

Seeing as how the Church sometimes decides to get involved politically, I can't imagine them really believing what is written in this book and not doing something about it. It's a more disturbing issue than Prop 8 if you ask me. Somebody please read this book and tell me if I'm crazy.

Oh and beware to any Obama lovers. This read might make that tingly feeling in your leg go away, and I understand how special of a feeling that can be...

and Oh again, the version of The Law that I read had the attachment Cliches of Socialism, which is a compilation of numerous authors writing modern applications of Bastiat's brilliance. Modern applications such as social security, income redistribution, public education, etc. This compilation helped me "get the point" of The Law.

Baby it's getting cold outside

2008-11-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

Nothing is more depressing for me than the thought of winter :( Luckily we'll have Seren now to keep our minds off of the fact that summer is no more. As you can see she doesn't mind making the most of the weather. Every day McKell and Seren walk to my school to pick me up and they escort me home. Very nice of them.

babies and more babies

2008-10-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

As you can see Brennen is having the time of his life with his new little girl. As their favorite pastime, they love making faces at each other.

First Walk.
Hottie!

What up Dad!

After her first bath.

Pink Ninja outfit.
Smiles :)

Here are some more pictures of Seren.

Ultra Sound 21 weeks.

Where am I? Minutes old.
Mom, Dad and Seren Oct 13th.
Seren Smiles :)

Well, it's that time again. Seeing as I am a stay at home mom, and I don't have anything better to do than sleep, eat and go to the bathroom (sounds like my baby), I decided I'm getting better at putting Seren down for naps, and my free time is becoming a little more predictable. First off here are some pictures of Seren's cousins. They seem like giants to her, but we are excited to all get together for Thanks Giving.

Looks like all the cousins are having too much fun in Cali with the grown ups.

Just Pics, cuz I'm not good at Blogger...

2008-10-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

Fall Preview

2008-10-01T14:37:00.001-07:00

Kutest of Kin

2008-09-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

'nuf said.

"Road trippin w/my two fav allies..."

2008-09-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Catching up on happenings this Summer: The Queen Sibling in my family, Joanna, and her bf&f Rich, blessed McKell and me with an awful (as in full of awe) road trip from Seattle to Vegas. We got to cruise in Rich's Rover and they even put us up in a "trippin" timeshare in Klamath Falls, OR. We love to road trip, McKell and I, and we got to scout out some killer earth, keeping our eyes open for perhaps a future place to call home. My favorite place was either Carson Valley, or Bishop, but mostly because those places don't appeal to enuf people to make the cost of living so high. We listened to some good audiobooks (I am America and so can You!, and the Golden Compass), sang with the windows down, ate lots of fibrous fruit, verbalized our thoughts together, and saw some freakin hott countryside. The treasure at the end of the trail was Rich's P(a)lace, where McKell did laps with our new stroller, courtesy of Vio and Co.

Goodbye Summer of 08

2008-09-29T19:56:00.001-07:00

So my kind wife let me go on two more hikes without her before the summer ended, she being round with baby. I finally got up the ridge of Mt. Olympus (north ridge), but not without disturbing a slumbering rattle snake with my hand. He made for a squishy handhold, but held nevertheless. The Paul brothers once again accompanied me on this one, they'll go anywhere and do anything.

The second hike was up Timp via her face. I'd always wanted to hike Timp, but didnt want to spend all day switchbacking her hindside. The goal was to drive around and park on the saddle to save a few hours, but Desh (my Subaru) wasn't up for dinging his underbelly so we ended up just parking him in PG and heading up Grove Creek. Well we made it to the ridge, then to the shed, and back down but not without my knees swelling and refusing to bend and my tear glands getting sweaty. Actually it was such an unpleasant bushwack of a descent that I decided I'd had enough hiking. For life.

More WeddingStuffs

2008-09-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here's just a few more photos of the wedding, to show the whole crew, and how beautiful the day was. We were very lucky!

Wedding

2008-09-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

I know these pictures are way over due, but here you go. We were Married on May 24th 2007 in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. It was a perfect day; not too cold not too hot. We had excellent food thanks to Me, and Brennen's mom and Grandma Gee and my Mom and Aunts and Grandma Poelman brought some yummy deserts.

Needless to say, it was the best thing we've ever done. We've had an excellent time together and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new baby girl. Next time I update I'll put some preg pictures up. And then, quite soon soon, we'll have pictures of the baby.

Life Elevated

2008-07-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Well recently we've been able to go on a few hikes, one of our favorite things to do. Hikes are worthwhile because a) its a great form of not watching TV, a.k.a. exercise b) you can get away from the hubbub of the city and enjoy the beauty of matter He hath organized c) it's a great way to force someone to have a nice chat with you. Usually if you walk with someone for more than 2 hours you have time to get past the "so remember that episode of The Office where Kevin..." and get to the more important matters of life, like "Pam is getting a divorce in real life."

We've been able to spend some time with good friends and family. We usually get to see some cool wild life, although you could argue McKell's squirrel friend Asher was quite tame with her.

McKell finds some pretty cool flowers, but she usually is kind enough to not pick them.

Hawaii Kiss!!

2008-06-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

ALOHA!

Beautiful Ocean

2008-06-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

The ocean was so beautiful and warm. Brennen Loved it!

Pool Boy

2008-06-12T20:51:00.001-07:00

Pool Boy?!!

Hawaii House

2008-06-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this awsome house we stayed in. It was a dream come true!

All Smiles :)

2008-06-12T20:39:00.003-07:00

Here are some wonderful pictures of the beach. Brennen is such a hottie!

hawaii

2008-06-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

Brennen and I were able to spend a wonderful week in Hawaii. Kuai to be exact. It was a much needed break for me from work. We got to do everything, from snorkeling, to boogie boarding, to swimming, tanning, sunburning, hiking, and seeing sea turtles....which was one of the best highlights for me. The beach was so beautiful. Oh, and how can I forget, 50% of my time was used up looking for sea shells (though Brennen would say 97% of the time I looked for sea shells). What can I say. The weather was perfect, and so was the warm water. It was my first time in warm ocean waters. We got to go and visit one of the islands botanical garden, and I really like that (being as I am a plant biology major). Any way, a BIG thanks to Roy and Brennnen's mom for helping to fund our trip (or we would have never been able to go :) We will always cherish the time we had in Hawaii!

By the way, there are a lot more fish in the sea! (love you brennen!)

for MJ

2008-06-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd put my personal thoughts on the tragic article by ESPN's John Hollinger placing Dwayne Wade's Finals performance against the Mavs over any of Jordan's Finals performances. No offense against Wade (or the name). Wade took 97 free throws in 6 games. Jordan had five Finals series that only went 6 games. And the Flu Game? Anyway, I'm sure my friends know that nobody really need argue this.

PLAYERS AND COACHES THOUGHTS:

"He gets all the calls, that's what makes him special.'' - Gerald Wallace

"It's unbelievable what he gets away with.'' - Bob Hill

"I can't believe he has the audacity to complain to the refs, he should be grateful for what they've done for him in his career. He is what he is today because of them." - P.J. Brown

"He travels on that spin move. He picks up that pivot foot... everybody knows it. Dwayne Wade can cover so much ground when he makes that move. As you know, he can go 20 feet with that spin move and get to the basket." - Phil Jackson

"You can't do nothing to D-Wade," Wallace said. "If you say boogety-boogety-boo to him, that's a foul." - Rasheed Wallace

"You are an amazing player Dwayne. I love watching you shoot free throws." - Mark Cuban

Interviewer: "Was it a little ridiculous how Dwyane Wade
got all the calls?"

Tracy McGrady: "Yeah, yeah it really was. I'll tell you man, ...

His First

2008-06-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

The other day my dear wife let me splurge on Amazon.com, thus I bought a few books and I just finished one of them: Mormon Enigma, the biography of Emma Smith.
I was quite pleased with this book and relieved that I decided to read this book rather than go see the new film out called "Emma's Story" or something like that. Like most biographies, I came away with an impressed opinion of poor Emma. As I had previously suspected this woman had to deal with a lot, her greatest trials seeming to come from her husband Joseph, the death of many of her children, and from her closest "friends" (Joseph's other wives).
This book is a must-read for anyone involved in the LDS church, mostly because it provides a good study of not only the Prophet Joseph's first wife, but also about the Prophet Joseph himself. There are some hard things to swallow but the sooner they're swallowed the sooner one can begin digesting them. Pay careful attention to the bibliography cuz there are some important sources to take into account (such as second-hand citations, as well as second- and third-hand accounts).
This book also helps one to understand why Emma has had a semi-bad rap at times, mostly due to her rocky relationship with Brigham.

The Mormon Worker

2008-06-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

So the other day our friends complained that we never touch our blog. Instead of arguing with them, I've decided to touch our blog.

Lately I've had more time to get to some of the reading that I've had my eye on for some time now. I've decide I'll use our blog to comment on my readings, mostly for my own benefit, but also for any unlucky reader that happens by.

Ever since I read Nibley's Approaching Zion I've been extremely interested in the economics/business practices/lifestyles of past and contemporary Mormons. There is much that is taught in Mormon culture that doesn't seem to jive w/Christ's teachings. The majority of my readings are an effort to recognize where we're going wrong in Mormondom, and in society in general.

I've stumbled upon some real gems. For now I'll just mention the publication The Mormon Worker. It touches on some economic and social issues, and tends to focus on the principle of Anarchy, a principle that seems to have received a bad connotation these days. Of all the writings one can spend time on, this one deserves some.

family

2008-02-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

Now that Brennen prepared me for what type of a family I was getting into, we've tied the knot. Wedding pictures soon to come.

brennen's favs

2008-02-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

I guess you know the saying "a picture can say more than a thousand words". Well, here are some of Brennen's favorite "people".

getting to know the family

2008-02-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

Brennen expressed his desire for me to be part of the family by etching my "married" initials on the Grand Caymen Beach. Hah, far enough that the waves couldn't ruin it. It was quite a romantic gesture....if I do say so myself.

Brennen helped me to get to know the family by taking me to Texas, and visiting his mom and Roy and mule riding with his dad.

wild side

2008-02-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

Brennen likes to live on the wild side sometime. We like going to Cabelas, not only to look at the live fish, but to pretend we actually have enough money to go on a safari!

First Hike - Forever Hike

2008-02-01T15:52:00.001-08:00

Here are some more Mount Olympus pictures.

This is our first hike ever, and actually we have hiked it another time since. We try and make it a point to take a picture in the same spot every time. It's a great time line. I hope we'll be able to hike it even when we are 70.

First Dates

2008-02-01T15:32:00.001-08:00

Our First dates: Bentons B-Day party

Before we Knew

2008-02-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

Before we met each other I was an avid traveler (not). In any case, here is a cool picture of me in Morocco....before Brennen and I had met.

geecru

2008-02-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

B&M geecru Beginnings

Hey world of bloggers; Brennen's mom inspired me to try a blog because her blog is so professional. I thought it would be fun to put all the pictures we take from now on online since Brennen has been having me scan all his pictures at the BYU Library on their scanners (and frankly, they are loud machines, and every one trying to study looks at me with evil eyes). I've realized that I probably don't want to carry 400 photo albums with me across the country, especially if Brennen actually gets the chance to accept a teaching job in Tajikistan or Russia. So, this will certainly take a long time, but I think it will be fun and worth it. Welcome to B&M geecru Beginnings.