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