Surfer Girls

We went to Corpus Christi last week for Cali's Luau (check out Holly's blog for the pics). We had a ton of fun while we were down there. In addition to the Luau, we got to go the beach. I put Aubrey and Ella on my surfboard and they each had several good rides. Aubrey got up a few times and Ella enjoyed cruising on her tummy.

Aubrey's Ride...


Ella's Ride...


I really wish we could live on an island...humph! :(

Summer Reading

It's been almost a month and I'm sure my readership has dwindled considerably. So, here's a nugget for ya...

It's summer again and time for our ward's Book of Mormon reading challenge! Our ward has started a tradition of reading the BoM over the summer months. The program started with the challenge issued to the youth and then to the entire ward. I participated last year and received so many blessings for following the council of our Bishop. We used this website last year to help keep us all on track and I loved it!

I'm excited about reading the BoM cover to cover once again. I feel an added measure of the Spirit in my life when I'm reading from the scriptures daily. I'm always amazed at how much I learn each time I read it. I know that as human beings we tend to forget and the BoM helps us remember who we really are and why we are here.

Holly and I just watched Prince Caspian the other night. What an awesome movie and book. Afterwards, Holly and I talked about how much we forgot about the book. I remembered the general story, but some of the details were lacking. One bit of detail that I did remember was the amount of time that it took the Pevensies to remember where they were; once back in Narnia. In the book, it took nearly all day/night, but in the movie it took them about 10 minutes.

The scriptures help take us back to where we came from. The scriptures help us remember why we are here and who we really are. The amazing thing about them is that we don't have to read all day and night to gain back that "feeling" of comfort and understanding. If we just take a few minutes out of our day to "remember", then we are so much the better. When we stop reading from them, we tend to drift away from our understanding that we are literal spirit sons and daughters of God; with the potential to become like Him. When that occurs, then we are more susceptible to making bad choices.

I hope you will join me in reading the Book of Mormon this summer. I know the Book of Mormon to be true. I've read it many times and receive that confirmation every time that I read it. I encourage you to do so and I know that you will be blessed.

Tops in Ops

May 1st - 4th Holly and I were able to go to Miami, FL for my Tops in Ops award. We had a ton of fun as you can see from the pics. It was like a second honeymoon for us. We both were able to just kick back and relax for a few days. My favorite activity was of course golf at Doral and the coolest venue was by far Vizcaya. Both places (Doral and Vizcaya) were ridiculous. Note to self: become a pro golfer and buy a castle someday.


Anyway, I feel so blessed to have won. Here is a picture and video of me receiving my award from the head of Engineering & Operations and our Regional VP.














And last but not least, a big shout-out to my Mom and Dad! Without them Holly and I would not have been able to go on this trip. They watched the girls for us while we were in Miami. Aubrey, Ella, and Cali all had a ton of fun with their Nana and Tata.

"The Best Daddy Daughter Day Ever!"

I was able to spend the entire day with my little girls yesterday and it was a blast. We wore each other out big time. We had so much planned for the day that we had to write it down to make sure that we got everything in.

Here is everything that we did yesterday:
  • Ate cinnamon rolls and three fresh strawberries for breakfast



  • Constructed Lego works of art


  • Went to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch, fun time, and mad dashes from the big mouse



  • Watched Meet the Robinsons DVD with freshly popped corn



  • Took a nature hike at town lake



  • Played air hockey at the rec. center



  • Had Leftovers!!!



  • Went bike riding at Glen Oaks Park



  • Gave Mom BIG hugs


Here are the highlights:
  • Three strawberries can go a long way when they cost $80



  • Legos are still my favorite toy for booby traps and hours of imagination/creativity time



  • Ella won the jackpot on the Deal or No Deal game (aren't you proud, Grandpa Smith?)


  • 2 Minutes and 45 seconds for perfect popcorn



  • Gotta love free rec. center games



  • Always good to $ave some sweet mula



  • The girls are pros on their bikes!!?? Where does the time go?



  • We really missed you Mom!!!!
It was a great day that every Dad should get to enjoy. I've been wanting to give Holly a day off for a while now...she so deserves it. It also gives you such an appreciation for your wonderful wife and all the hard work she puts in every day. Aubrey and Ella ended the day with saying, "This was the best Daddy daughter day ever!!" I would have to agree...

Hola Señor!

I got the promotion I was up for and I'm the newest Sr. Engineer for T-Mobile! I just want to thank all of my family members for their prayers on my behalf. I want to especially thank my sweet Holly for all of her encouragement and support. I'm so happy and humbled at all the Lord has done for me and my little family. We have come a long way and the Lord's arms are extended still. I feel so blessed to have so many opportunities and I know that I have my parents to thank for that. Thanks Mom and Dad for being such great examples to us kids and for your endless support. Now it's time to partay!

P.S. I love working in the wireless industry and especially for T-Mobile. They have taken really good care of my family and I stand 100% behind our new tag line, "stick together." What did I do when I found out the news? I called two of my faves (my wife and my mom) on my cell phone to let them know.


Happy Birthday Cali Girl!

It's my little Cali's birthday today!!! I can't believe she is one. These cuties grow so fast it makes me sad sometimes. She is doing so much these days. I love her smile and the way she laughs. Cali is one of my favorite subjects to photograph, but I usually have to catch her first. She is getting really fast and keeping her in one spot can prove to be difficult! :)

Here is one of my faves of her on St. Patty's Day...

Sad News

Peter Barr passed away yesterday around 4:30pm. Peter's brother, Spencer, is in our Teachers Quorum and his father serves with me in the Young Men's program in M5th Ward. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Barr family. They are such amazing people. We are comforted to know that Peter was surrounded by family during the last moments of his short, but tremendous life.


Here is the journal entry from his web site:


Dearest Friends, Family and Loved Ones,
Peter Galbreath Barr took his last earthly breath at 4:38 this afternoon and passed through the veil into the presence of his Heavenly Father. His family gathered around him for his final moments to express our love, and he is now at peace. Peter now awaits the morning of the Resurrection when his towering spirit will be gloriously reunited with his perfected, glorified, immortal body to never again be separated. His family also now anxiously awaits that wonderful day when we can renew our sweet relationship with this beautiful son of our Heavenly Father. God bless you for all of your prayers and support; we will give you details of his funeral and final resting place shortly.

High Tech Bloggin

So, you think your blog's pretty good eh, why don't you find out for real. Google has a really cool tool out there and you can use it to track any web page that you have hosted. The tool is called Google Analytics. I'm using it to track my high traffic blog because I'm really popular and I need to keep tabs on my readership and what they want.




Google Analytics is intuitive enough for all of you savvy bloggers. The two tips I have are: First, copy the HTML code into a new HTML/JavaScript Page Element. Second, be patient. It takes about a day if your a blogger like myself. Now if you're Holly, shoooo, you'll have data within minutes.

For those of you who don't know me and my sense of humor, I tend to be a little sarcastic. Anyway, enjoy your new found technology...and if you knew about this already, then you wasted about five minutes of your life. Sorry, no refunds.

holsmi80

What can I say about my Holly. She is my everything. I'll always remember our first real conversation and never wanting it to end. We sat at a park for hours talking about everything. Falling in love with her was one of the easiest things that I have ever done. She was literally an answer to my prayers and I'll never forget the moment I realized that. It was... Some Kind of Wonderful ;o) .

Our friendship and love is eternal. I find such peace in living the gospel and knowing that my wife and my best friend will be with me forever. I am so grateful for the wonderful plan of happiness that our Father in Heaven has prepared for all of us. I love you Holly and will you be my Valentine?

P.S. If you will, I can give you toast, goodies, cheeps, and saallad tonight.
P.S.S. "I think that I think about you way too much."

Home Depot Darlings

Aubrey and Ella have finally earned their Home Depot Kids Workshop patch! I am so proud of them! This represents 10 different projects that they have completed. They are also now certified to drive the forklift in Home Depot!


Here are all of the cool things that they've been able to build: fire truck piggy bank, butterfly box, tray, truck crayon holder, castle, super bowl foot stool, art caddy, memory box, planter, race car, and picture frame. I would have to say that my favorite project has been making memories.



Here We Go Again!

Many of you know from Holly's blog, I've taken the plunge and started my MBA. We feel really good about it and know that we will be blessed. The First Presidency has encouraged the Young Men to obtain as much education as possible. We (the Teachers Quorum) recite the purpose of the Aaronic Priesthood every week and I've really felt that continuing my education is something that I need to do. Even though I'm one of the leaders, I still consider myself "young" (although my body tells me otherwise) and I'm excited to follow their counsel.