Hawaii Kiss!!

ALOHA!

Beautiful Ocean

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

Pool Boy

Pool Boy?!!

Hawaii House

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

All Smiles :)

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

hawaii

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our First dates: Bentons B-Day party

Before we Knew

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

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.