Impending Fun

Is That Pack Getting Smaller?

Babylon Arch

Sharks and Fish

After picking Joe up from the airport in Vegas we decided to check out the Aquarium/Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay (as per Claud's suggestion). It was the coolest aquarium I have ever seen, not necessarily for it's sea life (although I'm sure that's cool too), I hardly noticed that I just really like the way it was designed. You start near the edge of the ocean and travel down down down until your at a sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean and the sea life was all around you, to the side, above and below. It was awesome.

OH, that last photo. Ya, that's my child on the ground pretending to be a fish.

My LITTLE Bro is a Dad

Yep, that's Skylar. I still can't quite get over it.

Focused on Diggers

You would never know by these photos but I took them while Ari was watching some construction nearby. We went for a walk on one of our favorite trails where the houses are getting dangerously close to the trail. Bummer for me, heaven for Ari. Ari was so into the diggers he didn't mind me taking his picture. This is installment one of the evening (i.e. photos not containing construction paraphernalia).

Trail Blazing in Card Canyon

Last Saturday Kim and I decided to take a hike. We met at the Forest Service office with no clue where we were going or how long we would be. We ended up at Card Canyon. We took the west fork and were so into our conversations about current events and fur muffs that next thing we knew we were at the top, so we decided to loop it.

This is the top of Card Canyon, as well as more photos of Kim hiking with her eyes closed...ya, she's that good.

As you can see there was snow so the hiking trail was not exactly visible, it was mostly old ATV tracks going all over the place (I hear even on a good day the loop trail is tricky at the top) but really, who needs a trail anyway? Not us. We head toward what seemed to be the east fork and made our way down. We got to see parts of the canyon seldom seen by other human beings...as most human's would not in their right mind hike through terrain like this: (FYI in that second photo my legs are dangling, I fell down a hill).

We eventually met up with the trail about 1/2 way through the east fork. Luckily we found it in one of the few places there were no cliffs to scale, for which my knees were grateful. The pain I felt for the next two days was worth every inch we covered (and will hopefully cause me to remember my poles next time). It was a great day.

Passwords Revisited

Thanks for all the great comments and ideas, this has given me much to ponder.

As you may have already noticed I added a few security features:
1. that stupid re-type this word feature (I'm pretty sure the insurance thing was a mass comment).
2. I now will moderate all comments (which is already kind-of annoying).
3. I noticed my blog was both listed on blogger and searchable via the internet. I swear those were off last I looked, perhaps that accounts for the recent craziness.

I'm going to see if those modifications weed out the rif raf and I'll look into the URL changing idea and see how things play out in the next few weeks.

As for controversial political dialog; don't be expecting that to hit this blog any time soon... Lauren and I had a virtual conversation today that went like this:

Lindsey:
...You know the more I think about it the more I don't want to discuss anything controversial on my blog...it's like my blog represents everything that's good and happy and right with the world...

Lauren:
...Maybe that is why everyone enjoys it so much? No griping or political arguments...just the "good stuff of life" so to speak...

Passwords ? ? ? ? ?

I've been thinking about this ever since I started this blog. I have resisted requiring a password because it's been fun to get re-acquaint with old friends who find your blog from so and so who found it from so and so and so on. BUT, the fact that anyone can find me and look at my life is both flattering and frightening.

I have been thinking more seriously about a password for the following reasons.

1. I have gotten several comments lately from people who post a comment on your blog just so that you will click on their profile and by default see their blog/website. So far I have been disappointed with human nature in the form of an insurance company, a pathetic guy who wants a date and a crazy woman in New York.

2. Does anyone else use Google Analytics? It's creepy, I have "friends" I didn't know I had in almost every state in the US...which is odd being that I'm pretty sure I don't have that many friends.

3. I have a lot of photos of my son.

4. I don't feel entirely comfortable mentioning issues such as...how can I say this without saying it...pr *p o s i * t i*n eig*t related fallout. I mean really, I have been totally affected by this and at some point might actually want to discuss it among friends but I don't for fear that my post will go the way of so many other bloggers I know that by sheer mention of the word or your possible association with m*rm o* ns receive an on slot of hate mail.

So, I'm still pondering...any thoughts?

The World Needs More Buchert's

I've been meaning to start a separate blog for photos I take of other people, but that was a year ago and I still haven't done it, so perhaps I'll throw a few on here when the mood strikes. I wanted to post a photo of the Buchert's not just because I took their photo or because of their stunning good looks but simply because they are one of the most amazing families I know; which I know sounds terribly cliche but I really can't think of better words to describe them. Last weekend we had the pleasure of hanging out with them, taking photos, eating burgers and wishing we had about 12 more hours to talk...Logan misses them greatly.

PS I cracked open the apple butter immediately after arriving home and have been topping everything with it I can possibly think of. It's SO good.

A Musical Gift from Carly

This is Carly. I took her bridal photos a few months ago; a few weeks later she kindly sent me a thank-you card with an iTunes gift card. This is an especially great gift as I'm a lover of music, but typically lack the discretionary funds necessarily to actually own said music. Pandora and My Space can only take you so far, like, into the living room. It's just so fun to be able to own songs and put them on your iPod and listen to them when you leave the house, and share them with friends etc. I had so much fun finally getting around to music shopping (wow, did I just say I had fun shopping) that I wanted to share what I bought. This is just a sampling of people I love. Enjoy. Carly if your out there, thanks again.

PS I'm also posting this in hopes that my music friends will find a way to also share what they are listening to. I recall Alex posting something on his blog about the new Drive By Truckers album and was happy to discover that yes, it really was good. I don't tend to be very current on these things, for example just the other day I discovered that Slaid Cleaves had a "new" album I hadn't heard...it came out in 2006. So, lovers of music. Share!
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Aaaaaa It's Snowing

Today at Tony Grove

Today at the Dog Park

That last photo makes me laugh. K-So had just ran up and sat by Ari. Ari looked at her like "what are you doing in a tree" he was so perplexed.