Greg and Kim Droubay

La'ie and Other Beautiful Places

2010-07-26T01:08:00.009-06:00

Hi kids (and anyone else tuning in...)

We've done a lot of nothing the last couple of days. It's been great. A lot of time sitting at the pool or beach reading, napping, and relaxing. We've gone and done a few things away from the resort. We've gone back to the North Shore to snorkel, swim, and get more shaved ice. We also took a drive on the other side of the island. We've now been around Oahu as much as you can. There isn't a road all the way around, but pretty close.

Here are some of the most recent pictures.

Kim at Kualoa Beach with "Chinaman's Hat" in the background. As she's done the whole trip, Kim is finding shells and rocks for Maddy. This was a very pretty beach.

Apparently many people swim out to the "hat." Kim wanted to, but I'm not much of a swimmer without my dinosaur floatee.

View from the opposite direction from Kualoa Beach.

La'ie Point. The hole in the rock in the background was made by a tsunami in the 1940s. The wave literally punched a hole in the rock.

La'ie Point isn't more than a mile from the La'ie Temple. Beautiful.

La'ie, Hawaii. In this picture is the area where the La'ie Temple, BYU-Hawaii, and the Polynesian Cultural Center are located. Gorgeous.

Our home for two weeks. Ko Olina is a beautiful place. It is kept spotless, has a variety of fun activities, four lagoons great for swimming, sunning, and snorkeling, three pools, and good places to eat.

I love this picture. My amazing wife has been long over due for an extended break to relax and focus on no one but herself.

Dinner at Chuck's Steakhouse at the resort.

View from our table at Chuck's.

Can you see the crab?

The Reis family gave us lei's at church today. They smelled great! I met Elder Jacob Reis several years ago during a video project in the San Antonio mission. I consider him one of the finest people I know and it was a pleasure to get to know his family a little bit better, especially his amazing grandmother.

After church.

Not much to do since it's Sunday, so more pictures with the tripod!

Simply gorgeous. The scenery isn't too bad either!

Kim taking a picture of herself and her lei.

Kim looking for, you guessed it, more shells for Maddy. We've missed you Maddy!

The sun going to bed.

Ko Olina coastline.

Another beautiful sunset Saturday night.

Saturday night. Borrowing a line from a friend, "A walk 20 years in the making."

I'm looking forward to the next 20.

Polynesian Cultural Center

2010-07-22T01:13:00.007-06:00

We didn't take a single picture today, not one. That's got to be a sign that the Second Coming is near. Today was a perfectly lazy day. We exercised this morning, headed to our favorite Lagoon #3 at our resort around 10:00 a.m., and didn't move until dinner time. I snorkeled in the lagoon for a few minutes. I saw an octopus, which was cool. That was about all the excitement we had. There was a lot of relaxing in the sun and reading. It was great.

We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and Laie Temple yesterday. Both were beautiful. The PCC was fun. It's kind of like an amusement park, but without the rides. Big, well cared for grounds, friendly people, and a ton of interesting information, demonstrations, and shows about the Polynesian people. The Church has really done a nice job with this place. Interestingly enough, of all the stuff to see and do on Oahu, this is the number one tourist attraction.

Beautiful temple. It's been closed for 19 months for major renovations on the inside. The temple re-opens this fall. We also visited the visitors' center and met some great sister missionaries.

The hazy look around the border is not some lame attempt at making the picture look better. We had just cleaned the filter on our camera's lens and didn't realize the humidity was fogging it up.

BYU-Hawaii, the Laie Temple and Visitors' Center, and the Polynesian Culture Center (hereafter called PCC) are all within a block or two of each other. I imagine all of the land the Church has owned for a number of years on Oahu must be worth a pretty penny. It's all a stone's throw from the ocean.

The first thing we did at the PCC was a canoe ride. There is a river that runs through the grounds of the PCC. As you can imagine, it is very beautiful. The PCC is divided into different areas or countries, kind of like the "lands" in Disneyland. There is an area for Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and so on. There are presentations in each area about the unique characteristics of each of Pacific Islands and activities to experience and learn about about life on the various islands. There are also numerous places to eat, shop, and so on. The place is huge and we didn't have time to do and see it all.

Cool statues. Although you can't tell in the pictures, they are very large.

Mid-afternoon there is a parade on the river. Each of the islands represented at the PCC has a floating stage where they perform dances and music specific to their island. It was interesting and entertaining.

We took this picture for Maddy. These are the dancers that move their hips very quickly when they dance. I've always called them hula dancers. I learned yesterday that this isn't the correct title for the dance they do, but my 41 year old brain can't remember what it is called. So, I'm calling this the GWMTHQD. (Girls who move their hips quickly dance.) You watch, that title is going to stick like a monkey on a banana.

One of the presentations in "Hawaii Land." This girl is doing the "real" hula dance. We also learned that 70% of the employees at the PCC are BYU-Hawaii students. The jobs at the PCC help pay for their education-related costs.

Kim in "Tonga Land" getting ready to get a tattoo. Who would have thought my wife would get a tat in the Church-owned PCC? By the end of the day our tattoos were about gone. The humidity and related sweat caused the ink to smear and run.

She got a tattoo that represents a princess in Tonga. That seems about right.

Showing our guns with our fresh tattoos. Note the fire extinguisher. It was needed because we were smoking hot with our tats. (BTW: This pose was not my idea. Just want to make sure we're clear on that fact.)

A statue trying to imitate me.

Kim reflecting after dinner as to why she tried sushi. I give her props for trying. It was, however, one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Her face made expressions that I didn't know were possible. The dry heave while trying to swallow topped it off!

One of the many PCC waterfalls. I love the f-22 on the camera to slow down water.

PCC at dusk.

Pearl Harbor and Turtles

2010-07-20T01:52:00.011-06:00

Hi kids (and anyone else that might be reading):

On Saturday we went to Pearl Harbor. The flag at the top of this post is flying over the USS Arizona monument. It's a great place to reflect on all of those that have give the ultimate sacrifice in behalf of the United States.

Picture of the memorial built over the sunken USS Arizona. We took a short ferry ride to the memorial with a hundred or so of our closest friends.

Inside the memorial. They asked me to turn my shirt down. Just kidding.

Oil still leaks from the USS Arizona.

Kim back at the resort doing her best "hang-loose."

Kim doing her favorite things: Reading, watching the sunset, and listening to the ocean.

At the Kapolei ward on Sunday.

I learned that one of the great missionaries I worked with in the CA San Diego mission last Fall was visiting Oahu. He lives in Guam, so it was a wonderful treat to spend a little time with him.

Kim and I hiked Diamond Head on Monday. Interesting place, if you like old volcanos and a great view. I'm happy to report I was able to keep up with my wife on the hike. However, I think she was taking it easy on me. I'm sure she could have run the whole thing.

View of Waikiki and Honolulu from the top of Diamond Head.

Diamond Head lighthouse.

Kim on Waikiki Beach. What a great place. We're going back later in the week because Kim wants to try surfing.

More Waikiki Beach.

Me surfing...I wish.

Kim taking a stroll down memory lane when she made the leap and purchased me from the place I was made.

We also went to Turtle Beach on Monday. It was really amazing. The turtles are very friendly, as far as turtles go.

He was very good to pose for me.

Kim snorkeling.

These pictures aren't top quality for two reasons. First, we had a cheap, disposal underwater camera. Two, it's hard to take pictures of fish that are swimming, especially with a cheap, disposal underwater camera.

We ate dinner Monday evening on the North Shore at Cholos. Pretty good Mexican food.

A Dole pineapple coming soon to a store near you.

Pineapple field at dusk.

Pineapple field at sunset looking towards the North Shore. Nothing says romance like Dole pineapple.

Waimea Valley, Shark's Cove, and Matsumoto Ice

2010-07-17T01:18:00.012-06:00

We headed to the North Shore today. Perhaps the best day yet. We spent the morning and early afternoon in Waimea Valley at a nature preserve. It's one of the those places impossible to describe. In sections it's a jungle complete with vines and incredibly thick vegetation. In other sections there are beautiful plants, flowers, and trees. There is also a nice waterfall at the end of the walk. We took A LOT of pictures and will only post a few of them:

Palm tree wrapped in vines.

Doing my best Tarzan impression. The word "lame" comes to mind.

You don't get the complete reality of how big this snail was. I tried to get Kim to put her hand right underneath it, but this was as close as she got. I can't blame her.

At Waimea falls.

Waimea falls.

Only included because Kim instructed me to do so.

There are the coolest canopy trees all over the preserve. Kim said several times that if she were a tree she'd be just like the canopy trees.

Bamboo trees.

The Nature Preserve didn't have the nicest places to preserve your health by heeding nature's call.

Pondering the great questions of life.

The roots on this tree are really interesting. Very tall and skinny. Kind of like Dallin.

Nice 'stash.

It's like a thicket in there.

After Waimea Nature Preserve, we took a drive up the North Shore until we reached the Turtle Bay Resort. We then headed back toward Waimea Valley and stopped at Shark's Cove to snorkel. It was a really fun experience. There is no beach at Shark's Cove, just volcanic rock above the water and volcanic rock that is now coral below the water. Kim and I snorkeled together for a while. Kim headed back to shore and I stayed in the water. The snorkeling thing is really addictive. Part of Shark's Cove is very protected from the surf, so the water is calm and it is very easy to snorkel in. I saw all kinds of different fish and two eels. I definitely hope we can head back there again.

Snorkeling in Shark's Cove. I'm the one with the snorkel.

A lot of black volcanic rock. It was fun swimming in and out of the rocks and mini underwater canyons.

Another view of the cove. I'm there in the middle of the picture. A lot of the cove isn't very deep so it makes it easy for smaller kids to snorkel. Even though the kids in this picture were right by the shore, they could literally stick their heads in the water and see fish. The fish are everywhere.

For the last stop of the day we headed to get some famous Matsumoto shaved ice. I have to admit I wasn't all lathered up about getting the shaved ice. It's just a snow cone, right? Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The ice is shaved very, very fine and melts perfectly the moment it enters your mouth. You can add extras like ice cream and black beans. Trust me, it is delicious. Kim even went so far as to say it was one of the highlights of the trip so far.

The line was long, but moved quickly. Not sure how long Mr. Matsumoto has been shaving ice, but it is yum, yum good.

Kim anxiously awaiting her ice.

Kim was hungry. Just kidding, one is mine.

Lazy Day

2010-07-16T02:08:00.009-06:00

Today was the best kind of day. We did absolutely nothing. We literally sat at the beach all day long. It was great. We did learn a valuable lesson. It was cloudy much of the afternoon. It is true what they say, you do get sunburned even with clouds. Nothing serious though.

Tonight we had a delicious dinner at Roy's. There are two locations on Oahu. Very nice and very delicious. After dinner, we made it back just in time to watch the sunset. The best part of the day was being together on the rocks, watching the sunset, and listening to the ocean.

Kim checking out the view from the top floor of the resort. We took a tour of the resort today and observed how the other half live (those paying a small fortune for rooms).

This picture pretty much sums up the day.

Kim, a book, the sand, the ocean, and the palm trees = paradise.

Me waking up long enough to snorkel in our lagoon.

Outside the Ko Olina golf club where Roy's Restaurant is located. Yes, I got just a little sunburned. It should be nice and tan by Saturday.

Kim working really, really hard on her Pina Colada.

For Zach: here's my dinner. A combo plate with salmon, shrimp, and ribs. The best ribs I've ever had...period.

For Zach: Mom's dinner. Mahi-mahi.

Kim watching the sunset. I love this picture. She's so beautiful.

Kim watching the sunset.

Sunset at Ko Olina.

Doesn't get much better than this.

It's kind of hard to see, but the moon, first star of the night, and the sunset.

Hanauma Bay

2010-07-15T00:56:00.011-06:00

So, we are staying on the driest side of Oahu during the driest time of year. What has it done at our resort the first two days? Rain. We're not talking a down pour or even steady rain, but enough to leave a lot of empty seats at Ko Olina lagoon number 2. At about 1:00 today, we took the lack of sun and periodic rain as a sign to head elsewhere. We noticed a plethora of blue sky on the other side of the island, so we decided to head to Hanauma Bay. What a beautiful place. We spent the afternoon snorkeling and catching some rays. Actually, we snorkeled a little together, Kim caught some rays, and I kept snorkeling. I apologize for very few pictures of Kim. She likes taking pictures of people. I like taking pictures of scenery. We'll work on getting more photos of her providing she'll give the greenlight to post them.

Kim is a much more creative photographer than I am. Who would have thought to take pictures of sandy feet? Thank heavens the pictures show her feet. My dogs aren't nearly as photogenic.

Hanauma Bay. Nice beach, great place to snorkel. This bay is apparently the top of an ancient volcano. You can see all of the choral in the water. Lots of fish in all shapes and sizes.

Above Hanauma Bay.

Getting ready to snorkel. I had never done it before. Loved every minute of it. Hardest part: walking in fins.

I'm now a snorkeler. That's how I roll.

More thrilling action. Thanks, Glenda for letting us use your telephoto lens.

Trying to figure out where my wife is on the beach.

Kim's view while laying on the beach.

More Hanauma Bay.

We decided to take a scenic route back to the resort. It was a beautiful drive!!!

Part of the road back took us through a mountain tunnel. Awesome.

Back at the resort with a Strawberry Surf Rider from Jamba Juice. Perfect end to a perfect day.

Aloha! Day One

2010-07-14T10:18:00.004-06:00

We made it to Oahu! We're going to try and update the blog regularly during our Hawaii visit. We know that each of our four blog followers are waiting with baited breath for each and every Hawaii moment. Actually, we're posting the pictures for our kids. These pictures aren't very exciting and were taken with my iPhone. But hey, it's an iPhone 4 so the quality isn't half bad. Here's day one:

Our metal 757 bird.

Kim very excited to get on the plane. Also a shot of some dude looking at the ceiling.

Kim 10 minutes into the flight. Due to my Delta points, we flew first class baby!

Flying into Oahu.

Flying over the Marriott Ko Olina resort where we are staying. The resort has four lagoons for swimming and snorkeling. It's on the "dry" side of the island, but the resort itself is absolutely beautiful.

Welcome to Honolulu! This area of Oahu is very busy and not how you picture Hawaii. Drive a few miles and it gets much better!

The resort has several restaurants. This is a picture from where we ate last night. Not too bad a view!

View from our restaurant table.

That's it for now. Lots of nothing planned for today.

Here you go Kimber...

2010-04-04T12:53:00.013-06:00

Okay, so I'm approaching a year since the last blog update. I suppose an annual update is better than none at all. I dedicate this entry to my beloved sister Kimberlee that seems to be the only that has noticed I haven't been very blog-dilgent.

Last Fall I spent several months in the California San Diego mission helping with a filming project for the Missionary Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We spent a month and a half training eight missionaries and then filmed them almost every day for two and a half months. We are in the process of editing over 900 hours of video footage that will be used to train missionaries at MTCs and in the mission field. We anticipate a 90 minute movie and scores of shorter training segments. Following are some highlights:

One of the crews getting ready for the day. Each missionary companionship had two cameras and a sound guy that followed them around as they taught investigators, interacted with Church members, and tried to find new people to teach.

Crew 4 with Elders Bott and Hepworth. In addition to the camera and sound guys, one member of each crew was responsible for obtaining releases from those filmed granting permission for us to use the video in training missionaries and in other settings.

In addition to filming the missionaries doing their work, we also did a lot of interviewing with the missionaries. The interview segments tie together the stories and training. Rather than using a narrator, the missionaries essentially tell their own stories. I'm getting ready in this photo to interview Elders Bott and Hepworth.

This picture shows the typical number of people (crew) assigned to each missionary companionship. Also in this picture are the Eten family that was taught and baptized during the filming and Brother and Sister Holland, friends of the Eten family.

Preparing to interview Elder Christensen from a home belonging to a Church member.

Observing filming being done on the grounds of the San Diego temple.

Elders Bott and Hepworth preparing to teach the Eten family.

Watching a baptismal service. We watched what was being filmed on two wireless monitors. Eric, the guy to my right, would log everything that was filmed using the camera's timecode. We use these logs and their detail as we edit.

When missionaries were outdoors, and often when indoors, we would stay in the production van and watch the filming.

In this picture I'm interviewing Brother Eten after his baptism.

Missionaries speaking with an investigator. In some cases, the cameras and boom microphone bothered people. In most cases, the missionaries were blessed and the cameras were a non-issue.

Serious TCB. (Taking care of business)

Filming the elders doing a service project.

Elder Tuituu waiting to be interviewed.

We did a similar project in the Texas San Antonio mission several years. At the end of filming we flew in the six missionaries involved in that project (on the left) to meet with and counsel the eight missionaries involved in this project (on the right.) Kim was also able to join me the last several days of the project.

Eight missionaries I'll remember and love forever.

At La Jolla Cove with Tracy Watson. We didn't have much time for fun or sight-seeing, but what we did see was beautiful. What a great place to live!

La Jolla Cove. Beautiful.

At the United States-Mexico border with Kim. Border fence is on the right.

Kim at La Jolla, CA.

The coast below the Point Loma lighthouse.

Point Loma lighthouse.

Inside the Point Loma lighthouse.

Downtown San Diego.

This was a long, but amazing four month project. If you're lucky, maybe you'll get to see the movie and training segments :).

Bare Feet at Bear Lake

2009-07-06T16:22:00.010-06:00

My family and I recently returned from a trip to Bear Lake. We spent the week with my brothers Jeff and Mike, my sister Kimberlee, and their families. My parents also made it up for a couple of days. We had a great time and I was reminded of what a wonderful family I've been blessed with. I was also reminded of the importance of applying sunscreen on a regular basis when at high altitude.

Zachary preparing to canon-ball it up.

Jake doing one of his 1,000 dives.

Coop doing his famous chicken-lickin' dive.

Feature model?

Sadie running and jumping.

My brother Mike and I looking at aluminum foil.
(Actually, we're standing guard as dinner cooks in a dutch oven. We had to cover the ovens up due to the wind.)

Oops. My brother Mig missed a spot when applying his spf 2,000 sunscreen.

Dallin. Look, no braces!

Jeff and his wife Amy back from a waverunner ride.

Maddy, Jeff, Josh, and Samster (on the floatee).

Jacob taking it easy.

Really excited about something. It's probably lunch time.

Kimber and her daughter Sadie.

My dad and Zach back from a ride.

How embarrassing. Twiner swimming suits. Maddy and Kenzie.

My dad and Zach on a tandem bike.

Kenzie adding a little extra water to the lake. I think she gets the desire to do #1 in public from her dad.

Dad and Mom catching some rays.

Mike, Cooper, and Kimber Thompson.

Jeff has his kids trained well.

Mike and Kenzie building a sand castle.

Mike T. waiting for a ride.

Maddy posing it up.

Jake on the lake.

Josh on his floatee.

Lucy. Looks like she's had her picture taken before.

Ty did his best to fill up the lake with sand. He did this scores of times.

Samster dreaming of being in the water all by himself.

My wife and boys. I added this pic to prove my wife was there.

One of the funniest moments of the trip was Cooper sneaking up on his dad and dumping a pale of water. No picture of that, but I got Mike's payback to Coop.

Dallin was an awesome oldest cousin. He gave his younger cousins raft rides and pretty much did anything they wanted him to.

Me and Dallin on a wave runner. You can tell it's day one because of my great whiteness. It was all red on day two.

Kim and her friends at the pool.

Sunset at Ideal Beach.

Visit to California

2009-05-08T20:28:00.012-06:00

Sorry about not posting in, well, two months. I suspect that no one has noticed. I'm in the middle of a massive amount of travel. I'll be gone almost every every week between now and the middle of June. I fly home on the weekends to kiss my wife, hug my kids, and to fulfill bishop duties. I'm excited to get the travel behind me, but I'm grateful for the Lord's sustaining influence, as Missionary Department employee, husband, father, and bishop. My recent travels have taken me to Atlanta GA, Des Moines IA, and San Jose CA. Future travels take me to Minneapolis MN, Seattle WA, Tallahassee FL, Macon GA, and Anaheim CA. My amazing wife has been an incredible support, not only with the travel but as I'm learning what it means to be a bishop.

One blessing of last week's trip to San Jose was a brief visit with my brother and his family. Mike works for Cisco and lives in Fremont. It was fun to see where he works and to learn a little more about what he does. I'm very proud of him. He's got an amazing job and family. I missed seeing my sister-in-law Melanie, maybe next time.

Ty, your's truly, and Kenzie. I asked Tyler how many friends he's made the past 11 months. He confidently said, "100, maybe 200." I had fun playing catch with him, especially when we used a lemon from their lemon tree. My glove smelled lemoney fresh.

Ty and Kenzie. She is adorable and showed me all around her house.

It was especially good to meet my newest nephew, Austin. Handsome boy. (The baby, not Mike.)

Ty showing me how well he can play the Indiana Jones Lego game on the Xbox.

Pretty girl. She showed me her room, all of her shoes, where to throw away my garbage, and reminded me to close the door when I went to the bathroom so "nobody would see my underwear."

Baby Austin.

One of my favorite places in the country to visit is Muir Woods just over the Golden Gate bridge. It is a beautiful grove of redwood trees and greenery. I got up early the day I flew home for a really quick visit. It was misting like nobody's business and a bit foggy in places, but beautiful nonetheless. If you ever visit the bay area, this is the best place to visit and worth the $5.00. Here's a few of the pictures I took.

My Top 10 List...So Far

2009-03-10T15:42:00.003-06:00

I've been one blessed man for forty years. Like anyone, life has had its share of ups and downs. There have been a lot of great days and a few really bad ones. In an effort to try and be more grateful, I've been creating lists based on my first 40 years of life. Weird, I know. I'm just trying to better remember the goodness of God in my life. My first list contained the eternal truths I've learned thus far. This list contains the top ten things that have happened to me. After numbers 1 through 3, they come in no particular order. I hesitate to post this because I'm a painfully private person and don't want to appear to be engaging in self-aggrandizement.

1. Courting, sparking, and marrying Kimberly. I don't need to say much more than that. She is the strength and inspiration of my life. I'll never forget the spiritual experiences we had together after dating for a short time. I vividly remember sitting in her living room when I realized we'd be together for eternity. Anything that is good or praise worthy that has happened in my life the past 18+ years can be traced back to her directly or indirectly. (As a side note, another great event that won't make the top 10 is the remodel Kim and I did of our kitchen and bathroom. We gutted and put it back together ourselves...and stayed married in the process!!!)

2. The birth of my children. I don't get emotional about many things. Issues related to my family and BYU football are about the only things that bring tears to my eyes :) Holding each of my children for the first time was a profound, spiritual experience. I remember talking with Dallin on the phone to tell him he was a big brother to a little black-haired baby named Zachary. I bawled like the ship was going down as I talked with Dallin, who was only two years old at the time. I couldn't speak I was blubbering so much. He kept telling me, "It's okay daddy, it's okay." Priceless.

3. Getting candy bars with my dad and being read to by my mom. If it was appropriate to worship mortals, I'd worship my parents. They're simply amazing. Although I was very young, I still remember my mom reading books to me. I don't actually remember what she read or how often, what I remember is the feeling I had sitting next to her. That feeling is forever planted in my heart. My greatest memory from childhood with my dad is the occasions when we'd go to put gas in the car, just the two of us. He'd always come back to the car with a candy bar of some kind. I loved the opportunity to have my dad all to myself. I was grateful he'd let me tag along. It's true that for children love is spelled t-i-m-e.

4. Preach My Gospel. I had the blessing of being asked to help with the writing, development, testing, and implementation of the missionary manual Preach My Gospel. It was a remarkable experience to work under the direction of prophets, seers, and revelators. I have profound respect and love for the men with whom I labored on this project. I doubt I'll ever have a chance again to help work on something that will have such far reaching impact on God's work. With the support of my family, I'm grateful to look back on that experience without any regrets. Kim and I gave it all we had. It's been a blessing to continue traveling to missions and help the continuing implementation of Preach My Gospel. President Boyd K. Packer was recently quoted in an Ensign as saying that Preach My Gospel was created on the other side of the veil and assembled on earth. I can attest to that. The whole experience was remarkable.

5. Traveling with an Apostle of the Lord. A couple of years ago I was invited to travel with Elder Ballard, Elder Cook (then a Seventy) and Elder Sorensen to a mission in the Northwest and a mission in California. The trip was amazing on a couple of fronts. First, we went on a private plane that is generously made available to the leadership of the LDS Church. That's the only way to travel! Second, it was remarkable to spend several days with an Apostle of Jesus Christ. It was fascinating to be a fly on the wall while traveling, eating, and in meetings with missionaries and Church members. Elder Ballard and his associates are mortal men just like any of us (unless you are a mortal woman, of course), but I left this experience with a perspective that the leading Brethren of the Church are all I envisioned them to be, and more. I'll never lose the mental image and associated feeling of landing in Washington state. Before any of us could do anything, we saw Elder Ballard loading our luggage into the back of our van. Simply amazing.

6. Hitting my first solid iron. This one's kind of weird, but it was a great event! I remember the first time I hit a golf iron flush. I was with my dad and an uncle on the 5th hole of the old Brigham City golf course. My dad had Gene Sarazan irons. If you didn't hit the ball flush, the club was great at providing instant feedback. You golfers out there know what I'm talking about. It was a great feeling to hit his 5 iron dead-on. Ever since then I've been addicted to golf.

7. Daddy-daughter dates with Maddy and b-ball/golfing with the boys. In addition to the primary-Church sponsored dates, Maddy and I make it a point to attend the Utah State Fair together every year. I'm not sure why we picked the state fair, but I look forward to every September. She's a special, special girl I'd do anything for and I hope the day never comes when she quits calling me "daddy" and doesn't want to hold my hand. I also love being with my boys. I look forward to the Spring when we can play basketball and golf together. I have this wager with each of them. If they beat me in b-ball before their missions, they each get $20. I think my money is safe :) They are remarkable young men and my best friends.

8. Gaining a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I remember as a prospective Aaronic priesthood holder and deacon being asked by my bishop if I had a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I'll never forget the spiritual feeling that overcame me. I couldn't speak. Fast forward to 2007. I was assigned to do training in one of the missions in upper-state New York. I made time to visit the Sacred Grove near Palmyra, N.Y. I remember parking and turning off my car, looking towards the grove, and having the same spiritual feeling overcome me. I'll never forget either experience.

9. BYU Miracle Bowl, 1980. Something related to BYU sports has to be in my top 10. The Holiday Bowl of 1980 is the best event thus far. The way BYU got down big time early in the game, my mom refusing to watch the game after the first quarter and going to take a bath (she always did this if BYU wasn't doing well), the amazing comeback, the jumping up and down with my brothers and dad. It was all great!

10. Your name isn't Fred? Members of the Quorum of the Twelve are assigned to the Missionary Department to oversee missionary work. Currently, Elders Perry and Holland are assigned. Before I was given different job duties a year or so ago, I had the blessing of being in meetings on a somewhat regular basis with Elders Perry and Holland. Somehow, Elder Holland thought my name was Fred. He called me Fred for a couple of weeks. I'm way too timid to correct an Apostle, even with something as simple as this. If he wants to call me Fred, I'm fine with it. Besides, if I ever did something wrong Fred would get blamed and Greg would still have a job. During a meeting, someone called me Greg and he said, "You're not Fred? Who is Fred? What have you done with Fred?" He then apologized. My wife thought this whole experience was hilarious. To this day all I have to do is say Fred and she'll laugh.

There are so many other great events I could list. Most of them are in someway connected to the wonderful people in my life. You know who you are and I'm grateful for each of you. I hope the next 40 years are as fulfilling and fun as the first 40.

We are going secure!

2009-02-23T20:36:00.005-07:00

Sorry about the lameness of this post. Actually, it probably fits right in with many of my posts!

Kim and I are making the blog more secure in a week or two. If you'd like to have access, just send me your e-mail address (gregkimd@msn.com). If you're new to logging in to read a blog, all you'll need to do is create an account which is your e-mail address (needs to be the same as the one you're sending) and a password. If you can't figure out how to do this, e-mail or call me (this especially applies to gpa and gma Droubay and Port).

Sorry for the inconvenience.

I had to add one photo from a great daddy-daughter date a couple of weeks ago. I love every moment I spend with her one-on-one. Maddy is a special, beautiful girl. Takes after her mother.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T18:25:00.006-07:00

I've always liked Valentine's Day. My parents did a great job making the holidays fun. V-Day was no exception. In grade school I looked forward to picking out Valentines cards for my classmates and getting candy. I also looked forward to the V-Day card I'd get in the mail from my grandparents. The card always contained a little cash...a nice bonus!

It's really fun having two girls in my home for Valentine's Day. I genuinely like shopping for flowers. I bought Kim pink tulips this year. I enjoy taking some time to put in writing how I feel about my wife. I didn't even mind standing in a very long line at Cumming's Chocolates in Salt Lake City yesterday to get a few treats for Kim. I love my wife and Maddy and hope they feel a little extra special on days like today.

Our Valentine's Day dinner. Kim always makes holidays fun.

Heart-shaped pizza.

Dumb Cat

2009-02-07T16:29:00.016-07:00

I've never been a big fan of felines. I think my dislike started in grade school. When I was seven years old Shane Bird dared me to eat some dry cat food. It was nasty stuff. I must have figured anything that would eat nasty food must be lame.

Another unpleasant memory happened as a teenager. My family was out of town and I stayed home because of my heavy job responsibilities as an assistant meat carver at Arby's. The night my family was gone I awoke to something crawling on my legs and then on my stomach. It scared me spitless because we didn't have anything in the house that would be crawling around. Somehow a cat had made its way into the house. I managed to chase the cat down and pick it up. I'd never held a cat and made the mistake of picking it up around the midsection with its claws facing me. When I went to heave it outside, it locked its claws on my chest and scraped me up like nobody's business. To this day I believe that's why I never grew chest hair.

My parents got a cat when I was on my mission. I was grateful to be on the other side of the country. I always believed I'd have a dog in my home before a cat. What can cats do, anyway? They sleep all day and lick themselves, that's about it. Remember Bill the Cat from the comic strip...Ack!!!

While at work in May 2006 I received a call from my daughter. She was seven years old at the time. The call went something like this:

Me: Hi Maddy
Maddy: Hi daddy. I love you.
Me: Thank you.
Maddy: I love you daddy.
Me: I love you too.
Maddy: I really, really love you daddy.
Me: What do you want?
Maddy: I'm kind of sad.
Me: How come?
Maddy: I held a little orphan kitty today.
Me: An orphan kitty?
Maddy: Yes. He's so cute, but doesn't have a place to live. He was born in a barn.
Me: That's too bad.
Maddy: Daddy, I love you.
Me: I love you too.
Maddy: Mommy said it's alright with her if we have this kitty come live with us. Please daddy, the kitty will die without us. Please daddy, can we bring the kitty home? I'll take care of him and love him. You are the best daddy in the whole world.

What could I say, especially since she used the "daddy" voice which gets her about anything she wants. So, we've had this big fur ball living with us for a couple of years. I have to admit, somewhat ashamedly, that I've actually become quite attached to "Pudder" (the kids picked the name.)

Maddy several weeks after the arrival of the cat.

The cat is cute. This picture also makes me a little sad to see how much Maddy has grown.

Maddy with the cat taking a Sunday nap.

Maddy and Pudder two years ago.

Maybe all cats are like this, but our cat loves to be in boxes. If there is box, he'll find a way in even if he doesn't fit. Dumb cat.

He sleeps locked in the laundry room every night. If he didn't, none of us would get any sleep. Dumb cat.

For a while, he liked taking naps in a rather small bowl. Dumb cat.

Zachary and the cat, probably about 1 1/2 years ago. The cat has to find Zach every morning to get his morning rub down. Dumb cat.

One night I noticed the cat playing with something. He had found a mouse. You'll notice the mouse by his right front paw. He played with the mouse for a good hour. He didn't seem interested in killing it, he just liked gently pawing it when it tried to run away. The mouse eventually gave up the ghost. Dumb cat.

The cat will not drink water out of a bowl. He will only drink from the kitchen or bathtub faucet. Maybe this is normal. Dumb cat.

In the past 2 1/2 years we've spent more money on health care for the cat than we have on me. First, we changed Pudder from a he to an it. Then there are the shots cats are supposed to get. He's had several vet visits. Once, he somehow hurt himself and dislocated his tail. It drug on the ground for weeks. That required a vet visit. Another time he got injured in a fight. His left front paw became infected and became so swollen he couldn't walk. Another vet visit. He had a antibiotic bandage on his leg for a week. It wasn't free. Dumb cat.

The cat is also under the impression he's some kind of great hunter. My favorite story about Pudder comes from a neighbor. Last winter our neighbor noticed several deer standing perfectly still and focused on something in our yard. Every so often, the deer would take a step or two back staying focused on something on the ground. My neighbor decided to check it out and noticed our cat. Pudder was stalking down the deer and when he'd move, the deer would move. Eventually the cat made a run at the deer and they took off.

Dumb cat.

Christmas and Maddy's Birthday

2009-01-06T19:23:00.009-07:00

Another Christmas has come and gone. Where does the time go? Now that Christmas is over, the next big thing for me is my 40th birthday in March...lame-o. Who wants to turn 40?

We had a great Christmas. I was able to take two weeks off from work and spent a lot of time with Kim and the kids. It was great! I was reminded this Christmas of the best present I ever received. This gift actually arrived two days after Christmas 1999. This heavenly gift turned nine years old on the 27th and what can I say except that I love my sweet Madelyn.

Here are pics from some of the exciting Christmas-related activities:

Droubay family Christmas party. Maddy opening a present. Her cousin Sadie is supervising. What was the present you ask? Something related to American Girl dolls. This pretty much sums up her Christmas.

Dallin and Zachary opening what else? iTunes gift cards.

Dallin and his Aunt Kimberlee (my sister)

Maddy and her grandma Droubay

Maddy performing with her ballet team, troupe, group, herd, gaggle or whatever it's called. She loves to dance and she's really good, but I might be a little biased.

Maddy and her friend Katie getting their nails done by an unknown fingernail artisan. An early Christmas present.

A visit with grandpa and grandma Droubay just before Christmas. My awesome wife made a book containing pictures, nicknames, and other information about all of their 16 grandchildren.

Port family Christmas party. Nothing invites the Christmas spirit more than taking a whack at a pinata.

Dallin chillin with the Ports. His grandpa Port is seated to his left. Kim's sister Tina and her boy are to Dallin's right.

Zach eating one of his presents.

A joyous Christmas Eve moment. Zach and Maddy thanking each other for spectacular presents.

We have a family tradition on Christmas Eve to open a movie we haven't seen and watch it wearing our new pjs. It's almost always some kind of animated movie. This year, Kung-Fu Panda. One of our first Blu-ray movies. I think the kids are doing their best kung-fu poses. It's a bit obvious they're not well trained in kung-fu. However, they do love kung pao chicken. I don't know exactly what this means but there's gotta to be some kind of connection.

The kiddies on Christmas morning. It was a bit iffy if they made it on his good list, but Santa did visit.

Madelyn on Christmas morning. Can you say American Girl? I hope she never grows out of it. By the way, I'm a pro at putting on and taking off the slippers and shoes of her two American Girl dolls. Feel free to be impressed.

Maddy's sleepover for her birthday. All she really wanted was to spend the night with her cousin Sadie. They both have the Nintendo DS and played the Dog game all night long.

Maddy on her ninth birthday.

Blowing out the candles. She's my sweetheart!!!

2008-12-03T10:20:00.001-07:00

I often have the Church operators send me phone calls from people that have questions or suggestions about missionary work. Most calls come from genuinely concerned individuals, but every so often a call comes my way that really makes me stop and think.

Case in point: Yesterday I have a call forwarded to me. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Hello.
Caller: I need Mormon help.
Me: What do you mean you need Mormon help?
Caller: Someone told me that Elvis liked the Mormon book.
Me: He had a copy of the Book of Mormon, but I don't know how he felt about it. What is your problem?
Caller: Elvis is living inside of me.
Me: Elvis is living inside of you?
Caller: Yes, and he keeps singing his song about being cruel. My momma taught me not to be cruel, but his song is making me want to be cruel. How do I make him stop?
Me: I think his song says, "don't be cruel"
Caller: Oh.
(Lengthy pause)
Me: Are you still there?
Caller: Yes.
Me: Are you okay?
Caller: Yes. I think he just left me.

There you have it. Mormon help at its best.

18 Years Later...

2008-12-02T11:24:00.003-07:00

18 years ago yesterday Kim and I were married. In many ways it seems like forever ago. In other ways I still feel like the nervous young man I was on that cold, dark morning. I'm not saying it was cold and dark because it was an awful day where my life as a free man came to an end. It was literally a cold day, 30ish degrees to be specific...that and the heater in our '82 Chevy Citation didn't work. It was a dark day because of our wedding time: just after 8:00 a.m. This required an early morning departure from beloved Brigham City. I digress. Looking back I can say with complete confidence that the most important decision of my life occurred on December 1, 1990. Everything good that's happened in my life since then can be traced back in one way or another to my wife. I won't even to attempt to express here what she means to me. I will say that I'm complete with her. Last week we did sealings in the Provo Temple and I reflected back on our wedding day. While pondering I looked up and noticed a unique perspective I had in the mirrors of our sealing room. I could see myself "going on forever" (I actually counted 12 of myself in the mirrors) but I could not see Kim because of where she was sitting. I didn't like the look or the feeling it gave me. Later, when we had shifted seats, I again looked in the mirrors and saw us together over and over again. That's how I hope it will be for eternity.

Family Vacation Part Tres: Beaches and Universal Studio

2008-11-24T19:10:00.014-07:00

Okay, so I promise this is the last I'll write about our recent trip. It cost a fair amount of dinero, so I guess I feel obligated to write about it as much as I can. If nothing else my kids like reading my ramblings at looking at the pictures.

Dallin, Zach, and Maddy love going to the beach. So do I. I honestly think we could do a beach-only vacation and they'd be fine. One of these days we need to get to Florida or points further south so they can enjoy warm water.

The first beach we visited was in San Clemente. This is roughly half way between San Diego and Anaheim. It was the coldest day of the trip, mostly because it was very windy. This is one of the few times you'll see Dallin's hair out of place. The kid is a walking Hollister ad. That's better than the walking D.I. ad I was at his age.

"The sea was angry that day my friends..." The windy conditions made for some impressive waves, at least by the Willard Bay standard I'm used to. I need to embarrass Dallin. When he was eight years old we went to Newport Beach. At that time Dallin thought he could command the water and waves. We have 30 minutes of him on video standing in the ocean making all kinds of hand and arm gestures at the water. After our visit he claimed the ocean was calm when we arrived and that through his unique powers he had created the waves. I've made multiple copies of this video and will use it at appropriate times (kidding, of course...maybe).

Memo to self: Don't put a bunch of gooey gel in hair and then hang out in the wind at the beach. Yikers.

Me and Dallin. Not sure what I'm pointing at or why it excited me so much.

Universal Studios in the L.A. area. The weather was great, but the place was a bit disappointing. If you want a destination with a bunch of rides, this isn't it. If you're into movies and being in the same place where the Hollywood stars have been, you'll love it. Unlike the Florida version, this really isn't a theme park. There are five or so fun rides, but the biggest attraction is the studio itself where they still make movies and tv shows. We took an interesting tour, but it was pretty much meaningless to us because we don't know much about the "stars" or the shows.

The "Psycho" set at Universal Studios. This was the coolest part of the tour. They have some dude carry a dead body out of room #1 every time the tour bus passes. Me thinks no GED is required for this particular job.

After Universal Studios we drove to the Santa Monica pier area. We arrived around 4:00 pm so the kids had about an hour to play before sunset.

It was an unplanned beach visit, so we weren't prepared with our swimming garb. Maddy had a good time anyway.

I'm not sure what Zach is doing, but his reflection is cool.

Maddy wave hopping.

A handsome mug.

I like this picture. I'm probably a bit partial, but I think I've got the greatest kids in the world. I know this is mostly due to their amazing mother.

Dallin just before sunset.

Another Dallin shot.

Zach and Maddy at sunset.

That's all folks. Sorry about all of the pictures over the past three posts, but we took over 500. I had to share some of them. Thanks for reading.

Family Vacation Part II: Disneyland

2008-11-20T18:39:00.015-07:00

Does it get any better than Disneyland? Probably, but I live a simple, sheltered life! I love the place and believe that passing to the other side must be very similar to walking onto Main Street U.S.A. with the anticipation of what's to come. I'm a dork...I know.

What made this particular Disneyland trip great was spending four days with my sister and her family. At one time in the early planning stages for this trip, most of my siblings were planning on coming, but Kimber is the only one that ended up making it. The others had lame excuses such as: "I might lose my job if I come" or "My wife's going to have a baby any day." Whatever.

Maddy and her cousins Sadie and Cooper in the Paradise Pier Hotel pool. Zach is the shady looking character behind Sadie.

Sadie, Maddy, and Cooper after their swim. The Thompsons (my sister and her family) stayed in the Paradise Pier Hotel with a great view of CA Adventure.

Maddy and Zach in their room. Due to the amount of time it takes the kids to get ready in the morning (i.e., Dallin), we booked a room that had two bathrooms and two bedrooms. Maddy and Zach enjoyed having their own room and tv.

The gang preparing for the big moment: the first ride. I'm kind of weird, as most of you know, and I always make my family go on Peter Pan's Flight for the first ride. To my surprise and delight, my sister does the same thing. My parents must have done it with us when we were kids. Pictured from left to right are Zach, Maddy, Sadie, my sister Kim, and Dallin.

Sadie and Maddy were pretty much joined at the hip all week. Sadie celebrated her 9th birthday while we were there. They are only six weeks apart in age. It was funny to see how similar they are, from the way they express themselves to what they think is funny. Suffice it to say they did a lot of laughing about stuff I simply didn't get. Oh well.

The entire gang with T-i-g-g-e-r, that spells Tigger.

Posing...Dallin seems unusually excited. I like the angle of this picture because I almost look a little bit taller than him.

There were a handful of rides my nephew Cooper couldn't or wouldn't go on. One of the couldn'ts was Indiana Jones, so Maddy and I took him on the tea cups. It was great getting to know him better. I think he's got to be the cutest and funniest five year old on the planet. He was always saying something to crack us up. On this ride we had to go in the orange tea cup because "orange is the fastest color" according to Cooper. He also said we set a world record for how fast we got the cup spinning.

What a cute family. The Thompsons: Mike, Cooper, Kim, and Sadie. It was also great to spend a little time with Mike. He's pretty much a stud and a great guy. He's a perfect match for my sister.

My familia. My cheeks look rather plump. I need to quit eating Yolanda's tamales at Cafe Rio.

Cooper, Dallin, Zach, and Mike in a cup. It looks like Cooper must have taught them the speedy nature of the orange. I like this picture because Cooper has done something to get all of them laughing.

My sister Kimber and Cooper on Autopia. After riding with his dad Cooper said, "see, I told you I should drive us home from church."

Maddy and Sadie had chicken strips for every meal, every day. A typical meal found them eating chicken, sitting by themselves, and laughing about something they found to be hysterical.

Sadie, Cooper, and Maddy posing with Pluto and Goofy.

Churros at Disneyland. Doesn't get any better. Ignore the fact that I'm wolfing down two at a time.

Not the most interesting picture, aside from Dallin. On this day all of the kids in So. Cal. were apparently out of school, so things were a bit busy. This is Dallin trying to hang on waiting in a long line. Poor fella.

Cooper isn't real thrilled about going on the kiddy coaster in Toon Town. He cried in the line and then cried on the ride. He stopped when the ride ended and announced he wanted to go on it again. We did, again and again and again.

That's right, I do action photography. We're all on the kiddy coaster with Zach in the front (he's so brave holding his hands up), Maddy and Cooper are next, then Mike and Sadie, followed by my sister showing true courage by sitting in a car all alone.

Sadie and Maddy resting in Mickey's house.

Zach carrying Maddy and Sadie carrying Cooper. Also pictured is some dude I don't know carrying his kid.

I like this picture showing all of the kids wearing their mouse ears. I was proud of Dallin for getting into the swing of things. He's a great young man and was "perfect" on this trip...always trying to help and great with the younger kids he spent the week with.

Probably my favorite picture of all. This is on Pirates of the Caribbean, and Cooper is showing great bravery with his hands raised. The great thing about this picture is that the ride is over. For those of you that know the ride, we've gone up the return ramp and are getting ready to go down the little drop off in front of the talking parrot. He wanted to raise his hands on a "dip" and thought this dip was about right. Cooper loves this ride and must have gone on it 20 times.

Most of the gang outside the Haunted Mansion. As you probably know, it's decked out this time of year in "Nightmare Before Christmas" garb.

Another favorite picture. Cooper's parents gave him a choice of something to eat. Most kids would have gone for popcorn, a churro, soda, or something sweet. He wanted a $5.00 pickle. He ate the whole thing and I've never seen anyone enjoy a rotten cucumber more.

Have you ever had one of the moments when you get laughing so hard you are no longer in control of yourself? I had one of those moments on the Grizzly River Rapids ride. My wife, in the gray and white stripped shirt, got absolutely soaked on this ride. She's sitting by the opening where you board the ride...bad mistake. Every time we went down a drop, she was facing backwards and would get soaked. This is the end of the ride and you can tell she's a bit cold. She's a tough lady and laughed uncontrollably as well. She may have wet her pants, but it was hard to tell.

Trying to be a good husband, I went the next morning to the Viva 99 cent store across the street from our hotel. Lucky for us, they had Spider Man ponchos for the reasonable price of 98 cents a piece (I'm not sure why 98 cents instead of 99, but hey, I saved a penny a poncho). Unluckily, they only had a youth size. We went on the ride three times the next day and stayed mostly dry. Mike's poncho ripped down the back when he forced it over his head. Mine ripped when I tried to pull it down to cover my pants. All I've got to say is viva Spider Man...these ponchos were flat out awesome.

Preparing to go on the new Toy Story ride in CA Adventure. Pretty cool ride. If any of you know what gang my daughter belongs to based on the signage she's displaying, please let me know.

My family in what is one of the most photographed places in the world.

Same place, different parent.

Just when you thing I'm done...installment three is yet to come. Just to get you excited, I'm calling it "Family Vacation Part III: Beaches and Universal Studios." Stay tuned.

Family Vacation: San Diego

2008-11-18T20:50:00.015-07:00

We returned last Saturday from a very fun 10 day trip. The best part for me was being able to spend 24/7 time with my family. They're amazing and it was great to be with them. I can't imagine anyone being more blessed than I am. We had a great time together. I'm going to divide our recent family vacation into three segments since I'm too impatient to upload all of the pictures at once. I've decreased the file and image size of the pics, so hopefully they still look alright.

We spent the first three days of our trip in San Diego. Activities included Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, a visit to the temple, the beach, and some site-seeing.

Zach and Maddy petting the sting-rays.

Okay, so my wife posed them for this one. Dallin usually doesn't kneel down to drink.

Shamu launching some dude. An inside joke here. San Diego was one of the places Kim and I visited on our honeymoon. Back in the day, there were no digital cameras. We had to be conservative in the pictures we took (unlike on this trip where we took 400+ over the 10 days). We had a 36 roll exposure in the camera and I used 33 of them on Shamu. Kim still gives me brief about it. I took another 33 this time to re-live the experience. If you're really lucky I'll post all of them someday.

The penguin encounter. Pretty boring life: waddle, eat, waddle, poop, waddle, swim, waddle, sleep. Actually, that sounds like Dallin's life.

Kim and the kids (and two strangers) on a Sea World ride. They got soaked. I had a health issue this day that I'll share in a moment...get excited.

After the wet-n-wild ride.

Kim and the boys on another wet Sea World ride.

Okay, here's my medical story. I expect lots of sympathy from all y'all, as they say in Texas. Several years ago I developed a rather serious neck and spine problem. The issue is with the facets in my spine. I'll spare you the boring details of what this means. The problem required several week's worth of physical therapy, which was embarrassing because everyone receiving therapy was really old. I digress. I've been able to manage the problem fairly well since then, although there is constant pain. Well, the morning of our first full-day (Sea World) the problem reared it's ugly head in a major way for the first time in years and I was in a world of hurt. Long story short, it puts me out of commission. I can't sleep, eat, sit, or stand without incredible pain. Let's just say Disneyland and related activities were out of the question, as was driving, flying, etc. After discussion with my wife, and prayers from my family, I remembered that things got remarkably better several years ago after I received a priesthood blessing. I had the thought to go to the San Diego Temple knowing there would be worthy priesthood holders there. So, the next morning we went to the temple, I received a blessing, and was healed. End of story, it was as simple as that. We then went to the San Diego zoo, the beach, D-Land, etc., and I was able to enjoy it all. The priesthood is real, it is God's power, and it produces miracles.

Outside the San Diego Temple after my blessing.

What a great looking family. Note the short sleeves and shorts on the kids. The weather was perfect during our entire trip.

Pandas are pretty dang cool. This is the male.

This is the female sprawled out and taking a nap.

Taking a break. Actually, we had been waiting for my wife on a potty stop. Let's just say she learns where all of the bathrooms are.

I like this picture because of the sign. Maybe Zach can't read.

The kids at the hotel pool.

Picture from the Cabrillo National Monument site. Cabrillo discovered San Diego Bay. The site has amazing views of San Diego, Mexico, and the ocean. It is also home to the Point Loma lighthouse. It was a great place to watch the sunset.

Looking at the ocean, I think.

The area had great rocky cliffs and tide pools. It's worth a visit if you're in the area.

Zach and Maddy.

Point Loma lighthouse.

The lighthouse and a mostly full moon.

Watching the sunset.

Zach patiently posing at my request.

Kim and Greg in Washington D.C.

2008-10-31T21:03:00.001-06:00

Washington Monument and White House (middle of picture between trees). Picture taken from the Jefferson Memorial.

Our nation's capitol building.

As election day approaches, I've decided to post a political blog...sort of. I'm not going to share my political opinions, which are quite strong and at this point I'd get too worked up, ramble on, and probably offend some people. Instead, I'll share a few highlights from a trip to our nation's capitol.

Kim and I took a trip to Washington D.C. a little over a year ago. I don't remember ever being more excited for anything in my entire life. Let me explain. At the time of our trip Kim and I had been married almost 17 years. In all of that time we had never been away together on any kind of extended trip...ever. The closest was we've come is a night away here and there, but that has even been very limited. Maybe 2-3 times at the most. Simply put, we haven't had the money to do much traveling around. We've elected instead to spend any available funding on family outings. We've been able to go as a family to Southern CA several times, to Yellowstone, and to Washington State. We've even been to Corinne, UT a few times. I ramble. Back to the D.C. trip. With all of the traveling done for the Church I'd racked up a few Delta SkyMiles, Marriott Reward points, and Hertz #1 Gold points. The trip was essentially free. The BEST thing about this trip, and back to my unusually excited state of mind, was the opportunity of being with my wife for several days. The cheapness of the trip was great, and the sites were wonderful, but it was being with her that was the absolute best part of the week.

I won't bore you with everything we did and saw, but we had a lot of fun and saw a lot of really great things. I loved everything about the trip and could go on and on, so I'll only share the places where I got teary-eyed. Anyone that knows me well can attest I'm not the most emotional guy. There was something about being in the nation's capitol that just got to me. I never flat out started blubbering, but on more than one occasion the tears flowed. I think I embarrassed my wife, but she was patient. The tear jerkers, in no particular order:

George Washington's general suit in the Smithsonian. I look like a gomer.

Lincoln Memorial.

The desk where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration. Located in one of the Smithsonians.

The hat Abraham Lincoln wore the night he was shot.

George Washington's grave site at Mount Vernon. I almost started blubbering here.

Declaration of Independence. Sorry about the pic. You can't use a flash and the room is dark. Our good camera had also died by this point. Seeing this document was the highlight of all the stuff we saw and experienced on our trip. It was also the place my wife offered me a kleenex in a rather mocking way.

Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There is a sacred feeling throughout the cemetery property. An amazing place.

Other pictures

Kim will kill me for including this. We're on the train that connects Senator Hatch's office and the capitol building. We hung out in the senator's office for 30 minutes or so, then walked through several underground tunnels and eventually made our way to one of the underground trains.

Mount Vernon, General Washington's home.

The White House. Senator Hatch's office hooked us up with a tour. It was pretty cool. To my disappointment, you cannot take any pictures inside of the White House.

Me and Kim at the Brigham Young statue in the Capitol Building.

Vietnam Memorial. My cute wife is pointing to her uncle's name. Hyrum B. Port gave the ultimate sacrifice during the war.

I love my country and I worry about her future. The two greatest issues this election year are who we vote in as president and Proposition 8 in California. One of the impressions I had on our trip was that this great country was founded for one central reason: the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Founding Fathers provided the foundation for the Restoration. It was remarkable to read their many comments and even testimonies about their God and Creator at the different sites. God is everywhere in the exhibits and displays. It's sad how far we drifted in a relatively short period of time. God has been removed from our schools and public places. Think about what He's been replaced with. Nevertheless, I know He looks down upon our country with love and will sustain us provided the righteous remain steadfast, continue to offer mighty prayer, and are more active in speaking up for and being involved in those things that are pleasing to Him.

Peach Days and BYU Football

2008-09-27T15:47:00.011-06:00

Peach Days 2008 and BYU vs Wyoming

Peach Days in Brigham City proved to be as exciting as ever. I've decided the only reason we enjoy the annual event is the association with family. Hanging out at the parade and going to the carnival surprises me every year: is there really this much "white-trash" in Brigham City? Art City days in Springville isn't any better. Where do all these people live? I should repent for judging too harshly. Kim had her booth again selling jewelry and related garb. She says this is the last year she'll do it...we'll see. It was fun to be with some of the family. Dad made some outstanding baked beans in the dutch oven, and KFC was a greasy and good as ever. We also had fun watching the BYU football game together. I also need to give a thanks to my in-laws for letting us stay at their place. They are about the most generous people I know.

Jen passing us during the 5K. I'm impressed every year.

Brigham City's 501st Star Wars Legion. No further comments needed.

Most of the parade viewing gang.

Maddy and Gabby.

Zach with his uncle Brian.

My foxy wife and Maddy in the Creative Beadesign booth.

The booth.

Brian and Heather enjoying Peach Days.

Maddy's pretty face.

A Brigham City sunset.

BYU vs Wyoming
Last Saturday we went to the BYU-Wyoming football game. My dad usually comes down to one game and it worked out this year that my brother Mike was in town. He works as a Human Resource Manager for Cisco in the Bay area. He was recruiting at BYU for several days and was able to join us for the game. We missed Jeff and his boys coming with us. Jeff was in Vegas at a "convention" of some kind (blackjack or slots?) Brian and I also went golfing with Mike on Friday. It was great to spend some time with him. We wish they lived closer. On Friday evening my sister had us out to her house to visit with Mike. It was a good time. Mig hatched the idea that we should go see the 10:00 pm showing of "The Dark Knight" (the new Batman movie). All the brothers but Chris went as well as Dallin and Zach...it was total peer-pressure. The movie was good, but I'm getting too old for the late night thing. Here are a few pics from the football game.

Kickoff

Max Hall's bomb TD pass to Austin Collie.

Tagged!

2008-09-25T13:21:00.005-06:00

My first blog tag. How exciting. Thanks Amy, I think.

6 unimpressive quirks about me (Greg) 1. I can't stand to wear jewelry. The only piece of jewelry I wear regularly is my wedding ring. I don't have my ears pierced and I can't stand the cumbersome-ness of bracelets and necklaces. 2. I never became a gymnast because I could not stand the chalk on my hands. Instead, I am/was a ballerina.

Oh wait, those are Amy's quirks. Here are my six:

1. I shave the right side of my face first (Braun 6600 series). I tried starting on the left side once and it ruined my day. 2. I can't fall asleep at night unless I first lay on my left side, start to doze, and then lay on my stomach with my face facing left. 3. My wife talks and/or laughs in her sleep at approx. 12:05 every night (okay, not my quirk but I want her involved in this blog). 4. When I come home from work, I can't immediately change into my gentile clothes. I need to walk around the house, say hello to everyone, pet the cat, use the john, and then change. 5. I can't wear flip-flops. There's something about the noise they make that freaks me out. 6. When I tee-off while golfing, the ball's logo must be facing perfectly up with the wording readable as I swing. Same deal when I putt.

I tag Jeff, Brian (use your wife's blog), Mike D. (use your wife's blog), Mike S. (use your wife's blog), Ryan D. (use your wife's blog), and Krystal Hernandez

Utah State Fair

2008-09-07T18:52:00.020-06:00

Madelyn and I have a tradition of going on a daddy-daughter date to the State Fair every year. She gets so excited for this annual event. I haven't been sure why. No disrespect to the State Fair, but it is pretty much the same every year. True, the livestock changes each year, but to my untrained eyes the cows, sheep, pigeons, chickens, rabbits, goats, pigs, giant alligator, and world's heaviest man look the same every year. I asked Maddy during our recent visit why she liked going and she said it was because she got me all to herself. That made me feel good. Take that bearded lady! You aren't the main draw for my daughter. I also look forward to our annual trek to the fairgrounds and know it's because I get to spend time with my sweet daughter. I thought I'd share a few of the things I love about Maddy:

1. Her smile and laugh

2. Her beauty, inside and out

3. Oscar (there was a Spanish kid in her Kindergarten class named Oscar; he didn't habla much English and I still tease Maddy to this day that she's in love with him and will marry him)

4. Her sense of humor (she recently told me that I was the one in love with Oscar and I should marry him; she has a great sense of humor that gets better as she gets older)

5. How often she says, "I love you so much daddy" (the boys quit doing this a long time ago.)

6. The fact that she still calls me "daddy"

7. Her frequent hugs and kisses

8. Her addiction to the Brady Bunch

9. That she still wants to hold my hand

10. That she is 100% girl

I love you Maddy. I hope you know how special you are to me! You're growing up way too fast, but I'm proud of the beautiful girl you are becoming.

This year's butter exhibit.

A pretty flower. Picture taken by Maddy.

Maddy on the pony ride.

$12.50 will get you 3 dry chicken strips, an order of cold fries, and a small cup of ice with a little Sprite added.

No caption needed.

Maddy and her brother Zach.

Maddy's brother Dallin.

The meanest clown you'll ever meet. If kids bother you, you shouldn't be a clown.

Opa and Oma

2008-08-25T21:06:00.025-06:00

On Saturday we headed to Tooele for a visit with my grandparents. We were also there for the family's fantasy football league draft. Thanks to Ryan for getting us organized! He runs a tight league. It was also great to have my brother Mike on the phone from California.

I love going to visit my grandparents. They've had a remarkable impact on my life. I thought I'd share a few of the things I remember from past visits.

1. Love. From the first visit I can remember to the one on Saturday, I always feel loved by my grandpa and grandma. They can't fake that. I know it's real.

2. Rolaids. I grew up thinking mint flavored Rolaids were candy. Opa and Oma kept a roll of Rolaids in the ash tray in their blue Lincoln Continental. Grandpa downed them like nobody's business. He always offered me one, and I assumed they were candy. I remember going to Hamilton's Drug in Brigham City with dad and asking if he would buy me a roll of Rolaids for a treat. It was then I learned the real truth about the medicinal value of those tasty, but pasty, round rolls of delight.

3. Grandpa's laugh. I love his laugh. It is real, not forced, and reflects a person that is genuinely happy.

4. The smell of their house. Weird, I know. But I love the house's smell. I'll sometimes go into the downstairs bedroom just to inhale the comforting scent. It was a bummer to clean their house as they prepared to come home from their mission and find that it didn't have that familiar odor. Thankfully, it has returned.

5. Coast soap. I grew up with plain, green Zest. It would take your skin off if you scrubbed too hard. Coast, with its enchanting aroma and colorful composition, was a treat. Couple that with the back-scrubbing brush in their shower and we're talking a world class spa.

6. Music. I have boyhood memories of grandma practicing the piano. I loved the music and thought she had to be the world's greatest pianist.

7. Rook. I still remember the day when I was finally allowed to play my own hand. I bid 75 and got 5 points. I also learned that you can't trust grandpa when he gets the bid: he'll put counters down.

8. Pit. Same as above, except grandpa will trade anything together...forget the rules. You have to be on your toes.

9. The CES symposium drop-off. A highlight every summer was the days spent in Tooele when my parents went to the CES symposium. It was great to spent time with grandpa and grandma. A favorite memory is playing games with grandma (Husker-Do, go fish, etc.) I also remember grandpa taking Jeff and I to a Salt Lake Gulls baseball game. It was also fun to load in the blue Lincoln and head into Murray so grandma could get her hair done. Grandpa would usually take us to the Murray City park. Good times.

10. Treats. It's usually a sugar-fest in Tooele. Treats are typically in the food cupboard, second shelf from the bottom. It was at opa and oma's I learned that vanilla isn't the only flavor of ice cream. It was also there that I learned the cons of drinking too much of that softened water (hello bathroom) or eating food that is left in their second fridge (aka, in the garage and hello again bathroom; at least the seat's padded).

11. The gospel. I learned a lot about the gospel in their home and continue to do so. For me, they are followers of Jesus Christ in word and deed. Their teachings and examples have sunk deep into my heart and have been available in times of need and distress.

I love you grandpa and grandma. I pray you are both around for many years to add to my list of memories!

Trip to Sanpete County

2008-08-21T20:42:00.016-06:00

We have a generous friend (and he has a generous family) that allow us to stay at their cabin. The cabin is located in the mountains east of Mt. Pleasant in beautiful Sanpete County. It's a great place to visit. The air is clean, the cabin is surrounded by pine trees, and there's a river on the back end of the property. Given our limited funding for a summer vacation this year, we were grateful to do something fun, but cheap. We had fun playing ping-pong, horseshoes, and going on the rope swing. My favorite thing was sitting on the big back porch and reading. I'm currently reading David McCullough's book on John Adams (it's a good read if you like that kind of stuff.) I also spent time reading family histories from the Nielson/Breinholt side of my family. More on that later.

The kids had a great time hanging out in the cabin. We watched the 3 Amigos once it was dark. One of the greatest movies ever made. Madelyn and Zachary slept up in the loft area of the cabin and Dallin slept on the main floor on a couch. We tried to convince him to sleep upstairs in a full size bed. Instead, he wanted to sleep on this couch where he couldn't fully stretch out his legs. He's around 5' 10" and seems to grow every day. He claims he slept well, but I kind of doubt it.

We decided to make the focus of our trip learning more about my mom's side of the family. This was especially good for my kids. I was reminded as I read some of Nielson/Breinholt family histories what remarkable ancestors I have. They all settled in the Ephraim area at the request of Brigham Young. Most joined the Church overseas (primarily in Denmark) and made the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, and then pulled and pushed handcarts across the country. Some died and were buried along the way. Many helped build the Manti Temple and others participated in the Blackhawk Indian war.

As we left the cabin and drove to Manti and Ephraim, we shared family history stories. It occurred to me the importance of doing this more often. We spent time at the Manti Temple and then went to Ephraim. We showed the kids the home where their Grandma D was raised. We spent a lot of time in the two cemeteries in Ephraim. We visited the graves of their great grandparents, great-great grandparents, and great-great-great grandparents. I'm not sure what it is, but I get emotional when I visit Grandpa and Grandma Nielson's grave site. I think a part of me wishes I had known them before they died. I also realize that they have been with me at times guiding and helping.

Enough of the serious stuff. I've included some of the pictures we took on our mini vacation in a slideshow somewhere on this blog. (I haven't quite figured out how to put stuff where I want it.) I think if you click on the slideshow it will take you to the bigger pictures somewhere out there on Al Gore's Internet. Kim and I recently purchased a dslr camera. I had fun trying to figure out how to take "cool" pictures of the water. It was actually fun standing in the middle of the freezing cold river (my feet were numb) with a tri-pod and the camera. I messed around in manual mode trying to get a silky look to the water. I admit that I'm becoming a major nerd the older I get. My favorite cabin activities were reading and taking pictures. Oh well. There's also a couple of pictures of our dumb cat. He got in a fight, his leg became infected, and he had to wear this medicated cast/wrap thing around his leg for a week. The vet bill: another cool hundred down the drain.