Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we had a nice candle light dinner with Heather's family. We had Clam Chowder, corn bread, and a cute vegetable tray in a shape of a Christmas tree. We then played games. We played Pit and the Santa Claus Left Right game.

Christmas pictures

We wanted to share with everyone our Christmas decor and holiday grins. Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

Passed Security+

I took the Comptia Security+ exam on Thursday Dec. 6 and passed with a score of 825/900. I was really nervous taking this exam because I hadn't done so well on the practice exams I took during my test preparation. From reading the community message boards @ wgu, I knew the exam was fairly difficult. Quite a few people @ wgu mentioned retaking the exam. I took the day off of work preceding the exam to study. I studied almost non-stop from 9:00am till about 2:00am . I suppose my preparation paid off. Now that I am done with school until January, I am going to go back and re-study for the Novell CNA(test 50-686) which I failed by a slim margin last July. I will likely sit the exam some time in January.

Snow Angel

It snowed tonight. I decided to do what I like to do best in the snow. I love making snow angels. I don't know why I love them so much but making them is just plain fun. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Table Tennis

Over Thanksgiving vacation, Chris was able to get a Ping pong table from his parents. This table was the table he played on as a kid. He is so excited to have a table of his own. Right now we have the table folded up in the garage. When ever we want to play we just back the cars out and unfold the table. Chris is even trying to teach me how to play.

I took a video clip of him showing the different kinds of Serves.

More Cute Thanksgiving pictures

Ryan, Jaron, Chris and I building a Temple with blocks.

Steven put Jaron in a laundry basket.

Steven putting the laundry basket over his head.

Ryan showing his happy face!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2007

Thanksgiving for us this year was held in Parowan, UT, where Chris grew up. The weather was cold, and we received snow the night of Thanksgiving. Totally diverting from past years, Thanksgiving dinner was held at about 5:00pm, where most normal families have the meal around noon or 1:00pm. After dinner, we played games including Blokus, Chess, Rummikub and Yahtzee Turbo. We stayed up way too late playing games and trying to decide our approach to the black friday sales. We decided we would attend the Staples sale in nearby Cedar City and have Jared(Chris' brother)snatch some items at Radio Shack. We purchased a few items, including a new sony DSC-s700. We should have probably read reviews about this camera before purchasing it, however thus far we have been reasonable satisfied with our purchase. Following the purchase of the camera we decided to try it out. Below are some pictures we took this weekend.


These pictures are of my family at an IHOP in the Salt Lake Area on the day after Thanksgiving. We traveled from Southern Utah and met my Brother Mike who lives near Logan, UT. We made the trip as David and Rahel had to fly out to Pittsburgh the next morning.



The next day, after David and Rahel flew out, We traveled to Mike and Tammy's House. Here are some silly pictures of Cory(yellow), Britton(on top of Cory), Megan, Jaden(both standing on fireplace). We also have Dylan, Makenzy, and Shannon.





After leaving Mike and Tammy's today we stopped to see Cheree and Mark and their children: Tyler, Madison, Jacob and Kaden. Above is Tyler with his superhero "Hands".

Here is Kaden dressed as Batman / Cowboy. This term was from his own words.

This is Jacob behind that Spiderman mask.

Madison didn't really want a picture taken, but she was bribed with fudge.

Here Kaden is, our nephew, showing his cello talent. It was so fun to hear and see him play. Here he is playing his song.

Here Madison is, our niece, showing her violin talent. She is playing some of her Christmas songs. She is so talented.

Passed Windows XP 70-270 certification

Yesterday I passed the Microsoft 70-270 Windows Certification Test. My score wasn't the greatest(763) but I am relieved I passed. I honestly don't understand how I passed the test because I was very unsure of many of my answers. I spent plenty of time studying, but apparently failed to cover the topics with enough width or breadth. I still have to complete Security+ before the semester is over.

Currently I am enrolled at Western Governor's University. The program at WGU incorporates IT certification into their bachelor's of Information Technology degree. Although others have had negative things to say regarding online education, I have thus far enjoyed the flexibility and independent learning offered at WGU.

Table Tennis: 2007 Utah Open

This past Friday and Saturday(November 16-17) I participated in the 2007 Utah Open table tennis tournament. I am pretty much still a novice in the sport, so I ended up playing in the "C" class. There were about a dozen players in this division, including a few youngsters who were really good considering their age. My record for my pool was 3-2. The two matches I lost could have turned out differently if I would have won a few key points. I think that your perception of how the match is going really effects your play. There is definitely an interesting element to the game. I started playing table tennis again when I starting working as a customer service representative for Rocky Mountain Power. It was with this new position that I met Eric Holje, who has taught me a great deal about table tennis. Eric placed 3rd in "B" Class at the 2007 Utah Open.

When I was in elementary school, I learned some of the basic rules of table tennis, as a few of my teachers had a table set up in their class rooms during the winter time as an alternative to outdoor recess. My family also purchased a table when I was in junior high school. So I played family members or friends or whomever at home as well. I think I spent the most time playing my older brother Jared. I never really learned proper technique in the early years so now I am in the process of learning a different style. I plan on playing at the Evanston Chinese New Year Tournament in Feb 2008 as well as the Utah Summer Games in June 2008. I try to take the time to post more info as I continue with the fun sport of table tennis.

Canadian Thanksgiving 2007

Our celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving was slightly delayed this year due to scheduling conflicts. This holiday was officially held October 8, 2007 (the second Monday of October). We celebrated on November 4, 2007. We had 26 people in our small home. Needless to say, the gathering was chaotic at times, but ultimately, loads of fun. We were so excited we forgot to take pictures, but here are some pictures of the aftermath.
Here is Canada's Flag. We hung it on the wall for part of the decorations. The turkey at the top of this page was one of the center pieces on the tables.

For Canadian Thanksgiving we had: Turkey, Potatoes, Broccoli, fruit plate, and rolls

For dessert we had many pies: Banana Cream, Coconut Cream, Pistachio, Oreo, and Pumpkin

Adoption Collage

Birth Parent Letter

Dear Birth Parents,

Thanks for spending time reading our letter. We may not know you, and we are unaware of how you are feeling at this point, but we hope you will understand us better through this letter. We pray you may be guided through this time of decision. Truly, it is God who knows us best and what we need in life.
Our relationship began when mutual friends set us up on our first date. We enjoyed our first date but it was rather uneventful. We really did not suspect our relationship would be anything more than a mere acquaintance. The next day, just happened to be the birthday of one of our match-making friends. Surprise, surprise, we both attended the little party. After the party, a group of us drove into the nearby mountains to tell ghost stories. While most everyone else enjoyed the tales of horror, we were in our own little world watching the lighting flash across the distant night's sky. Thus began our relationship. We dated for the next three months and had a lot of fun times. Then, one dark day, we parted paths and decided our relationship should end; so much for happily ever after. With the ensuing months, we both learned important life lessons and a short time later, almost out of the clear blue, we resumed our relationship. After some deep soul-searching, we felt the timing was right and married on May 15, 2003. Marriage has been the best choice that we have ever made.

Heather possesses a strong sense of compassion and understanding towards others. Embedded within her are strong motherly instincts. Even though Heather has never had children of her own, she is a mother at heart. Heather loves playing with her nieces and nephews, caring deeply about each one of them. As a speech therapist, she also cares tremendously about her students, and does her best ensuring their individual scholastic progress as well as their personal well being. For example, Heather went the extra mile creating a picture based communication book for one of her struggling students. Through this additional learning aid, her student made terrific progress. Heather’s patience also impresses me. At times I expect Heather to be really annoyed by my many character flaws, but somehow she miraculously tolerates me.

Chris is a sensitive and caring man. When I am sad or sick he comforts and makes me feel better. One thing that attracts me to Chris is his honesty. He values honesty and practices this principle in his personal life. I also appreciate his work ethic. During the time we were dating, he was working two jobs and going to school full time. I know he will do any honest work that is necessary to support our family. Chris demonstrates respect towards me. Although we have been married for sometime now, he still opens doors for me. Chris pitches in and helps with housework, especially when he can see that I am behind or frustrated with all I have to do. Another thing I appreciate about Chris is his diligence in his church callings. Chris loves and appreciates children for both their mischief and innocence. Chris cannot wait to teach our children by working and playing along side them.

We frequently enjoy getting together for family gatherings. We love spending time with our nieces and nephews: playing games, planning treasure hunts, and just watching their interactions. We love discussing the funny things these cute kids say! When we are not with family, we enjoy playing board games such as Scrabble, Rummikub, and Chess and Blokus. Often, we quote our favorite movies in our conversations together. In the evening, we like to take walks and watch the sunset. We love going on outside adventures, like driving on back roads, looking at petroglyphs, and hiking to waterfalls. Frequently, when a meteor shower occurs, we go out and watch “nature's fireworks”. We enjoy watching the stars dance across the sky. Occasionally on weekends we like to go to the drive-in and watch a movie. We also enjoy surfing the Internet together.

When holidays come around, we alternate visiting each side of the family. For instance, when we go to Heather’s parents house on Christmas Eve, we enjoy a clam chowder candle light dinner and then act out the Nativity story. After spending Thanksgiving with Chris' Family, we often attend the somewhat chaotic early morning sales the day after. Some may consider these sales a demonstration of obsessive commercialism, however we think of it as spending time together in a crazy way. Prior to celebrating American Thanksgiving, we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving in October, as Heather served her mission in Canada. It's like having a second Thanksgiving party! Another tradition we love are annual family reunions held each summer. Since Chris wrestled in high school, we regularly attend the high school state wrestling championships.

Once again, thank you for getting to know us better. May God bless you with his love and watch over you in all of your endeavors.

Sincerely,

Chris and Heather