HOLA!

We're still alive in Blogland... barely. I had to ask a homeless guy to give me mouth to mouth just to bring this thing back to life. But, because I'm dedicated, and didn't mind the taste of aqua velva, listerine, and egg mcmuffins in my mouth - I bring you this very special message.

Peace on Earth this season. Wouldn't it be great? We can wish,but as my Dad used to say- "you can sh*% in one hand and wish in the other, and see which one fills up first". Looks like it's up to all of us to bring peace then.

So, what have we been up to you ask? Well, you see, it's pretty complicated... nothing. Yeah, nothing. Just doing to same old stuff. Work, family, activities. Nothing that really warrants an excuse for being away from blogging this long.

And, because I haven't done this in so long, my fingers are now tired and I bid you adieu. Here's a recent pic of the family. My, how they're growing. I just want to pinch their cheeks (Michelle's too - if you know what I mean ;P ).

Belly full of Corn... aka, Cornbellys

This past week we went with Michelle's family down to Thanksgiving Point to get lost in the corn maze. Did we get lost? No, not really, there's too many other people there and it was broad daylight. Did we have fun? Define fun... j/k, of course we did. BTW, did you know that you can eat corn that has dried on the stock? Well, I tested that first hand and it tasted fine. I only had the runs later that week for a few hours (who even knows if they're connected).

Feast your eyes on these visual treats.

Easton getting his milk on... you can tell he's questioning this.

And Conner seemingly enjoying this. Maybe it's an age thing?

Jen and J-Bear swinging along.

Ella enjoying the corrugated pipe, eh, I mean slide.

We're too cool for this corn maze, where's the exit? Seriously, get us out of this thing.

Halloween 2008

One of our friends sent this to us, oh how telling it is.

Halloween is gonna suck this year.

A Lazy Sunday on the Alpine Loop

This past Sunday after Church we decided to drive up AF canyon and have dinner up the Alpine Loop and go to Cascade Springs. It was a BEAUTIFUL day for doing it, the air was crisp, the temperature just right, and the leaves were still very vibrant in their colors. We went with Michelle's parents and her brother Brian and his family. It was a good time. I love getting to the outdoors and reminding myself how marvelous a world we live in.

Here's some pics to feast your eyes on...

Michelle with the kids @ Cascade Springs

Dad and Ella

North side of the canyon @ Sawmill picnic area - gorgeous.

The grandparents and grandkids... so cute.

Books from the National Endowment for the Arts

I saw this post on Michelle's cousin's blog and thought it would be a good way to remind myself that there are MANY great books out there and that I should probably put a little more Classics into my diet. And, now that I've seen what Amber has read, I feel like a redneck.

Here’s what you are supposed to do:

• Look at the list and bold those we have read.
• Italicize those we intend to read.
• Star the books we LOVE.**

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird** - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World** - Aldous Huxley (top 3 favorite all time)
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

See how you fare...

The Three Stooges

AKA... Conner, Easton, and Ella

The Ham-Bones. Picture Posers. Camera Cuties. Kodak Kids. Fake smile on demand. Basically, these kids have been throwing poses and grins the camera's way since they popped out into this world. There are just daily occurrences at our home, just chillin' and grinnin'.

Ella and Conner playing on the floor.

Conner and his nice cut on the eye. Why does he have a cut you ask? Because Easton threw Rocko on his face.

Easton waiting for someone to pull out a piece of his electrical chewing gum. (It really shocks, and hurts!)

She's either very mesmerized at the moment, or someone told her she'd get taffy if she stared into the camera.

Allen's Big 6-0 Birthday Party

Howdy y'all - just a quick update on how it's been since last post.

The weekend went very well, we relaxed, cleaned out the garage and watched some great football games. Then on Sunday we had Michelle's dad's birthday party at our house. It was his sixtieth and he took it in fair stride (as he always does). Here's some pics of the party.

Grandpa with all the grandkids. Is that eye cream Preston is holding? ;-)


Paula and Allen... keep smilin'.


I wonder what he's wishing for???

Let's try and get together more often...

Me and this blog, that is. Trying to get this to a weekly thing at least, and if you're lucky, more often.

Let's see... nothing new really happening this week. A new exception for this week is I'm coming out of my cave to sell on eBay again. About once a year I list a few things just to refresh myself on the ins and outs of how to do it. Oh, and to make some $$$ of old stuff lying around. It's a win-win (win).

Rocko is being a little turd lately. He's decided that it's OK to pee on the porch when we let him outside instead of walking all of the way to the grass. Oh well, he'll learn... or he better. Here's a little more recent pic of him with some of his facial hair out of the way. He still looks like an Ewok.



And, going through our pictures from the summer I saw this one that made me think of how easy it is to doctor a photo to make a bigfoot. Or, in this case, a baby bigfoot. All you'd need to do is cover Easton with a fur shading and voila - there it is, right in the mountains of southern Idaho.


See ya later, until next blog.

Been a Long Time Since I Rocked this Blog

So, what's up my peeps in Blogsville? What's new with us you ask? Well, if you can tell by the lack of blogging... not much. We're happily content with our boring lives, doing little during the week and on the weekends and have no exciting announcements to make in our lives. The closest thing I've got is my little brother's life, and he's getting married.

Small news since late July-
>> Rocko is bigger and behaving and learning well
>> We canned salsa and jam (raspberry and strawberry)
>> We went to Park City for a weekend (that was fun)
>> I'm in a new position at eBay (lots o' fun and lots o' math - you really DO use it in real life)
>> Kids are back in school again (again)
>> Planted more stuff in the yard

Well, that's about it. Not real fantasmical around here. Perhaps something will strike me and I'll post it. Other than that, I'm a slacker with a capital S.

...and Rocko was his name-o

So, after a couple of years of not having a loving, playful, and compassionate member of our family (with four legs) we decided to get a puppy. Well, technically he's not completely ours until we pick him up in a week and a half, but we took the plunge back into dog ownership.

He's a cute, little chocolate/tan cocker spaniel and was the best looking and most curious puppy we saw over the weekend. His mother was beautiful too, and great with kids, and we're so excited.

And, the best part, he can't jump a fence... he's only going to be 15" tall at the shoulders. Seriously though, we're very happy to have a new member of the family.

Here's his pics we took yesterday when we went and picked him out...

What a handsome man... a big sweetie.

Oh yeah, and the TRUE best part, he gave me some loving little kisses when we left. What a heart melter.

El Montana Vacacione

Ahh... the great outdoors. That's what our Montana trips are all about. We were up there for a week in Seeley Lake and got to spend time with Michelle's side of the family. Her aunts and uncles (Paula's siblings), cousins, and immediate family were all there. We floated the river in front of the cabin, went golfing, had a memorial dinner party for her Grandpa Jim, went to the lake, hiked to a waterfall and did a rope swing (phew - that's a lungful).

My favorite part was probably the rope swing we did the last day we were there. It was halfway between the Holland Lake lodge and the Holland Falls waterfall. The lake was COLD, but very refreshing and made for a great landing spot when you're swinging thirty feet in the air.

All in all it was fabulous and reminded us why we love to go there when we get the chance. Now we're thinking we need to steal away and get up there with just our family so we can stay at the cabin and enjoy it more often.

Enjoy the pics, because we enjoyed when they were being taken.

The Pic(s) of the Week

OK everyone, here goes a quick post about El Ragnar.

Had three great runs, everyone else did great, and it was another awesome time. It amazes me that when you abuse your body for 24+ hours three times that afterwards, when you're all sore and achy, that you suddenly realize that you want to do it again. Can't wait again for next year, it will be great.

BTW - here's the best shot Jaren took (I think anyways). It's me giving a farmer blow before my first leg, and yes, that little white streak you see (if you look really close) is in fact a 'farmer's rocket'.


Here's another dandy of the awesome people manning the exchange at the top of Ragnar:




And here's me handing off to Greg at the exchange:


Next posts: Montana trip and the 4th of July.

Sore and Achy

Well, well... look who decided to post a blog again finally - me!

Today I write in pain, and it's not pain derived from tortuous training regiments running the pavement ragged. No, this is pain from playing catch in the back yard with Conner and trying to make a miraculous grab with my glove. The good news, I caught it. The bad news, my head and neck still ache two days later from smacking it against the ground falling backwards as I made the catch. I think I got a concussion... or at least something that felt like one. Yesterday I thought I must've slept on my neck wrong until I remembered I did that. Boy, getting old is rough on ya!


On an another note - things are about the same as usual. Fam, work, sleep... repeat. 8 days until Ragnar, that's a plus. Can't wait to do it again this year. Lots o' fun.

TGIF... Seriously

Today is one of those days that is the culmination of an entire week of running around doing things at work and home and is now at the brink of volcanic activity. Or in other words, if I had to come in more day this week to work I'd explode. We're going through another re-org (I think this is #5, or #6 now for me) and basically it means that I have no idea of what I'm going to be doing. Oh well, c'est la vie.

So, on that note... here's how I feel today, or at least until 4 o'clock when I get off.

"Shoot me please, I've got four more conference calls today"

Disneyland 2008 - In & Out in 1

You've gotta love Disneyland, even if it is for just one day because you're actually staying in San Diego. We had a great time and enjoyed going there with Greg, Jess, Jovi, and Gracie. We drove up early that morning, stayed all day and waited until the fireworks (which were canceled because of wind) and then got back very late that evening. Needless to say, the next day was the day at the beach for relaxing... quite fun.

All in all, we got in some of the classic rides there, the kids got to remember it from last year, and most importantly no one was killed or injured by a parent/child.

I think the next time we hit Disneyland it will be drawn out over several days and we'll just fly right in, taxi to a hotel across the street, and do nothing but Mickey, Donald, and Goof...y it up the whole time.

We have GRASS!!!

First - apologies for not posting for a while. Between vacations (yes, I owe pics and posts on those) and working in the yard getting things ready, there just hasn't been much time for things other than breathing and sleeping.

So, with that said, I've gotten almost all of the sod at our house laid (except for when I ran out and had to order more - it's coming tomorrow). We've also gotten a few bushes and a Japanese maple planted. Which means very soon it will be a BBQ bash for all to enjoy the greenness that is. So sick of this damn dirt, mud, and bland landscape.

That sh*# is green - oh yeah!

Also - Donny & Lena, now I have to go to San Jose the week of the Ogden marathon relay, so it's a no go now.

Anywhos - here's a pic I took last week of the sod going in. More to come.

March Madness is Here

Stay up to date on all the action.

It's Been Some Time...

My wife told me to put another blog up, so here's an attempt to talk about nothing for at least a paragraph so it seems like a worthy effort.

Right now is soccer and baseball season at our house. Conner and Easton are both playing, which means that our weekends are spent with soccer games, and the weekdays are spent going to baseball practices at night. I ask myself "when am I going to get my yard in?".

Michelle and I are off to Vegas next week for a vacation away from the kids, but because we feel guilty (not really), we're taking them to San Diego and Disneyland a couple of weeks later. Man, we're suckers.

Everything else is pretty much par for the course; work, family, life.

Keep on rockin'!

29

My wonderful wife, Michelle, is now 29 years old like myself. To me, 29 is an important number and is an important milestone in life. One more year and we're 30. Why am I writing this... well, I feel blessed to have such a great life at 29. My wife is awesome, I'm in the best shape of my life (thanks Word of Wisdom... and exercise), and I have a great family.

2+9 = 11

11 = my birth month, and birth day

1+1 = 2, or 2 happy people together

Basically, this is a post about happiness and how thankful I am for my wife. I love her.

Just in Case You're Wondering...

SO, thanks for the comments and hoorah-ing for the 10K. To let you all know, the course was nice and flat, the weather was great on Saturday, and I had an awesome cold. Nonetheless, I think I have set the bar for myself on all 10K's to follow. I finished the race with a 7:50 min/mile pace - a nice 10 seconds below what I was aiming for. So, as I continue to train for WB, I can finally say that running hills and inclines and in the cold did me well.

As for WB - I might even be considering the Ragnar leg... we'll see. Have to keep the craziness up.

More to come later this week...

Admission is the first step...

I'm depressed, confused, tired, and let down right now. My Patriots lost in the Superbowl in the last minutes of the game. This is the first time I've talked about it freely, and it still pains me. I don't know when I'll get over it. I still can't believe it happened and it's like a bad nightmare. I don't know if I have the energy or will to wait another year to see what happens. I'm bummed.

Well, on another note, things are going OK and I've got a 10K coming up this weekend out at Saltair. We'll see how it goes and how I do. I've received a stinking cold in the past couple of days and have been wheezing and heaving when attempting to exercise. Only the strong... I will do it.

So, nothing else really new. Oh, except we got a new camera, a Canon Rebel XT SLR. It's super snazzy and I will post some pics shortly that were taken with it.

TTYL

Wife Tag: Michell-o-Rama

So, thanks for the tag Emily, here's the down low on the wife for all to know.


What is her name? Michelle Hope (McIllece) Beins

How long have you been married? 7 1/2 years (June 2000)

How long did you date? 4-5 months, but we were friends (with benefits, not those kind) in high school

How old is she? 28, 29 next month (Feb. 25th)

Who eats more? Me

Who said "I love you" first? Me

Who is taller? Me

Who sings better? Me

Who is smarter? She is (think about that answer and then let me know what you think ;) )

Whose temper is worse? Mine, although she does have her moments.

Who does the laundry? She washes, I fold.

Who does the dishes? Both of us, probably a little more her than me though.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Define right? Looking at the bed: I do. Sleeping in the bed: she does. (Can you tell I'm analytical?)

Who pays the bills? We both do (but mine are usually the online ones)

Who mows the lawn? I do, she is not allowed to any longer

Who cooks dinner? Michelle 95% of the time

Who drives when you are together? Me

Who is more stubborn? Michelle, her way or the highway (but don't tell her I said that).

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me

Whose parents do you see the most? Michelle's (mine live in Idaho)

Who proposed? I did

Who has more friends? Michelle

Who wears the pants in the family? Michelle does (and she looks damn fine in them)

Quick Update - SB XLII

So, if people don't know, I'm a Patriots fan. Not one of those, hey these guys are pretty good and they help my fantasy team out so I think I'll root for them. But one of those, "don't F-ing talk to me if they lose I've witnessed too many losing, let-down seasons" kind of fans. Now, I know that's what most band wagoners are going to say - so whatever. Do they have the 1998 Tedy Bruschi jersey with the different style than they do now? Didn't think so. What about team Crocs? Spending $2K to go to Boston to see a game? ...Nuff said.

With that said, I want to make a statement: The Pats are going to win come Feb. 3rd. It might be by a little (like last time against the Giants), or a lot, but either way they're going to win. And I'll tell you why... their minds and bodies are so well tuned and harmonious that they won't let themselves to go 18-1.

Hate me if you will for loving them, but love me for never hating them.

Pats 28 - Giants 24

A video that makes you think...

So, I am on the "Green Team" here at eBay, which tries to focus on doing things for our work community and the community we live in. Things like water conservation, reducing carbon footprints, recycling, etc. One of the persons on the team then sent out this little video about "stuff" and how we Americans use it.

I have to admit, this is a little left as far as the person, but the message is loud and clear - republican, democrat, liberal, or whatever. I strongly urge those who read this blog to watch this short, 20 minute video and think about your own contribution to "stuff". I know it made me think about some of the habits and tendencies I have and if they're really required.

www.storyofstuff.com

Happy Newer Year!

Hey everybody - hope you all had a great holiday. I know we did, and I've got a few pics to share with you all. We enjoyed Christmas dinner with the McIllece extended clan and playing some Puerto Rico with Donny and Lena.

This new year brings some reflection opportunities and a chance to re-assess where I am in life. The good news, I've been working on being healthier and exercising more frequently for the past year and it has carried over well. Some things I'd like to work on, though, are saving more $$$, having FHE more often, and becoming a more patience person. All of this will require a fundamental change in organization.


Here's the kids at Christmas - such cuties.

It's (L to R) Conner, Easton, Dylan, Preston, and Ella. I don't know where Jordyn escaped to during this picture, but she's there somewhere, maybe buried in wrapping paper.









Here's Easton at his Christmas program giving his part for "The Night Before Christmas". He was the loudest presenter and singer for the whole program.



This was me and Ella for her 2nd birthday party. How do you like those bows that Michelle put in her hair? That's what I thought, totally girly, but I love it. She's such a cute stinker.

This is Ella laying on her Dora blanket that she got. Talk about an obsession. I wish I were the one who came up with Dora, talk about $$$ merchandising genius.



That's her opening her presents with Mom, with Grandpa watching on in amazement at how a 2 year old already knows how to rip through presents.


Well, not much else going on lately. Just livin...

Post to you all later.