Ok, so we're a little behind the season but over the weekend Adrienne took down most of the Christmas decorations in our house. All that remained was the Christmas tree and we will finish that tonight.
Last Friday, I went with Kevin up to the District Klondike campout. We brought up cookies for the boys and leaders from the wards (congregations) in our stake (group of wards). While we were up there, we gathered them all around and Kevin gave a quick talk to everyone gathered that he called "The Parable of the Wii". I don't have time right now, but later tonight I'll log back on and share it with everyone.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Progress!
I can't believe how things seem to keep getting in the way of completing the online profile. We were all set to work on it, but I got sick. It was the strangest thing. My stomach hurt and I got a 101 degree fever...but I felt better by the time I went to bed. The fever lasted about 3-4 hours total.
We finally got some time to work on it Wednesday. We finished all the "preferences". Those are bizarre. The responses are Yes, No, and Maybe. You answer questions about different characteristics you look for in a child, a birth mother, and a birth father. It is a rather surreal experience. We are getting significantly closer to finishing the whole thing. I'll be uploading photos tonight while Adrienne cleans. Then we will work on the "Teaser" that potential birth mothers will read before clicking on our individual profile when searching.
We finally got some time to work on it Wednesday. We finished all the "preferences". Those are bizarre. The responses are Yes, No, and Maybe. You answer questions about different characteristics you look for in a child, a birth mother, and a birth father. It is a rather surreal experience. We are getting significantly closer to finishing the whole thing. I'll be uploading photos tonight while Adrienne cleans. Then we will work on the "Teaser" that potential birth mothers will read before clicking on our individual profile when searching.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Adoption Profile/"A Brand New Year" Program
So we didn't really make any progress on our adoption profile this last week. Our new goal is to finish it all tomorrow night. Talking with some other couples, we found that we are a lot farther along in the new system than they are. We just need to get it done.
We had two great youth activities over the weekend. My "job" in church is the 1st Counselor in the Stake Young Men's Presidency. To help all my family members of other religions understand better...Each congregation in my church is called a ward (about 150-250 households = one ward), and a bunch of wards together equal a Stake (maybe a total of 3-5000 people make up a stake give or take). The first activity was for all the youth in my stake between the ages of 12 and about 18. We had around 300 youth participate (out of 500). Imagine 300+ youth and 200 adults all together on one basketball court inside (because it's winter here in Utah). We had dinner, talks, skits, and games all at one location. It was a blast! There's nothing quite like being in a huge gathering of youth that all want follow Christ.
The second youth activity was for a specific young man in my ward (the congregation my wife and I attend). He is sixteen and just earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I don't think I'd been to an Eagle Court of Honor since I had mine back in 1995. I've been to a couple on a District level but not an individual one in all that time. He's a great kid that is becoming a man of character. It made me think back to my time as a Boy Scout. I'm glad my dad made time to go on campouts and come to activities. I'm glad both my mom and dad made the effort to follow up and make sure I finished my requirements. I use the skills and lessons from my time in the program every day of my life. Be prepared. Do a good turn daily. I think there's a lot that we can learn from Scouting.
We had two great youth activities over the weekend. My "job" in church is the 1st Counselor in the Stake Young Men's Presidency. To help all my family members of other religions understand better...Each congregation in my church is called a ward (about 150-250 households = one ward), and a bunch of wards together equal a Stake (maybe a total of 3-5000 people make up a stake give or take). The first activity was for all the youth in my stake between the ages of 12 and about 18. We had around 300 youth participate (out of 500). Imagine 300+ youth and 200 adults all together on one basketball court inside (because it's winter here in Utah). We had dinner, talks, skits, and games all at one location. It was a blast! There's nothing quite like being in a huge gathering of youth that all want follow Christ.
The second youth activity was for a specific young man in my ward (the congregation my wife and I attend). He is sixteen and just earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I don't think I'd been to an Eagle Court of Honor since I had mine back in 1995. I've been to a couple on a District level but not an individual one in all that time. He's a great kid that is becoming a man of character. It made me think back to my time as a Boy Scout. I'm glad my dad made time to go on campouts and come to activities. I'm glad both my mom and dad made the effort to follow up and make sure I finished my requirements. I use the skills and lessons from my time in the program every day of my life. Be prepared. Do a good turn daily. I think there's a lot that we can learn from Scouting.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Birthday Fun and Other Things
Last night we went to Jazz basketball game for my birthday. We got a fantastic deal on lower bowl tickets and we just couldn't pass it up. The only problem was that the sky decided it was time to dump snow. By the time Heidi and Trevor made it to the meeting spot to drive up it was only 15 minutes until tip-off (with a 45 minute drive when the roads are clear). We didn't actually get to the game until the second half. We met Austin and Sarah there so there were 6 of us total.
The seats were fantastic. It was technically the handicapped section so there was extra leg room AND the seats were PADDED. Good times!!! It was a good close game until the end so I'm glad we managed to see at least half of it. Next time I'll take off work early and get up with plenty of time to spare (and I'll have everyone else riding in my car do the same). It really was fun though. It's just such a different experience being in the lower bowl versus the upper. You get a much better idea of just how big and athletic the players are.
Adrienne bought me the sound track to the Phantom of the Opera for my birthday. There was also a movie, a new basketball and some khaki pants. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was perfect.
Our Adoption case worker called yesterday to find out if we were "registered" Native Americans or if we could become registered. We told her no, but that we'd look into it. It will basically come down to genealogy and proving our heritage. We are both only 1/16th, but there are some laws in place for adoption that require moms with babies that have Native heritage to at least consider adoptive parents that also have Native heritage.
The new adoption profiles go "live" next week so that they'll be available for viewing. Ours is almost done. It will actually be really good for us to finish this weekend. When the website goes live there will probably be only a couple hundred on there (instead of the 1500 which is the total number looking to adopt). Those others will slowly trickle online as they finish, but for a few months our odds would be much higher.
The seats were fantastic. It was technically the handicapped section so there was extra leg room AND the seats were PADDED. Good times!!! It was a good close game until the end so I'm glad we managed to see at least half of it. Next time I'll take off work early and get up with plenty of time to spare (and I'll have everyone else riding in my car do the same). It really was fun though. It's just such a different experience being in the lower bowl versus the upper. You get a much better idea of just how big and athletic the players are.
Adrienne bought me the sound track to the Phantom of the Opera for my birthday. There was also a movie, a new basketball and some khaki pants. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was perfect.
Our Adoption case worker called yesterday to find out if we were "registered" Native Americans or if we could become registered. We told her no, but that we'd look into it. It will basically come down to genealogy and proving our heritage. We are both only 1/16th, but there are some laws in place for adoption that require moms with babies that have Native heritage to at least consider adoptive parents that also have Native heritage.
The new adoption profiles go "live" next week so that they'll be available for viewing. Ours is almost done. It will actually be really good for us to finish this weekend. When the website goes live there will probably be only a couple hundred on there (instead of the 1500 which is the total number looking to adopt). Those others will slowly trickle online as they finish, but for a few months our odds would be much higher.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Vote - Help us choose!!!
We've decided that we need your valuable input. We like two backgrounds and can't quite decide between them. I'll give everyone a month to decide which is better. You can vote on the right hand side of the blog.
First up...Blue with Plaid. Since I am the one that does the posting, the colors have to be masculine enough for me to be at ease. Here is option #1.
Our #2 choice is Purple with Frogs. It says something about frogs belonging in little boys pocket's. Very cute, but again we're afraid of being a little boy-centric. Let us know what you think and help us make our decision.
First up...Blue with Plaid. Since I am the one that does the posting, the colors have to be masculine enough for me to be at ease. Here is option #1.
Our #2 choice is Purple with Frogs. It says something about frogs belonging in little boys pocket's. Very cute, but again we're afraid of being a little boy-centric. Let us know what you think and help us make our decision.
Monday, December 29, 2008
New Blog Appearance
I know most of you just check out the emails instead of going to the blog itself, so I wanted to inform you that the Blog has had an upgrade. It now looks a lot different. Check it out at www.jasonandadrienne.blogspot.com and tell us what you think.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas Vegas Trip
We went down to Vegas with our friends for Christmas. Adrienne and I don't usually care for Vegas (we call it sensory overload) but this was a very nice trip. We drove down right after work on the 23rd and went straight to the Venetian. We had 3rd row seats to see the Phantom of the Opera. What an amazing show!!! The effects were fantastic and the singers were absolutely amazing. Our two favorite people in the play were Christine and Raul. Their voices and acting together really made the show work.
On Christmas Eve we went to the roller coaster at New York, New York. Adrienne, Dan, and Bryce rode it. I ran to the top of the parking garage to see if I could get a good shot, and this is what I got. You can see Bryce is 4th row from the back, while Dan is right behind him and Adrienne's face is just visible in the same row as Dan (but just to the right of Bryce's face).
Christmas Day we opened gifts and even made a trip to the hot tub and heated pool. Kim made cooked up a Ham with some potatoes and vegetables. It was just a great day. We even took time to watch the church video "Joy to the World". On Friday the Clydes headed home. Little Tyson wasn't feeling too well so they decided to head back just in case. We spent that evening in St. George with our good friends Brent and Andrea (and of course little Gabriel). I even got a good shot of St. George with the snowy mountains int he background.
I started getting sick the last couple days, but we still managed to stop by and see the Todds. They even had more of their family around than normal, and it was great to catch up with them. We decided to head back fairly early since I was not well. The sun set an hour or so before we actually got home so we stopped to take a couple quick photos.
I think this post rambles a little but I didn't know what to cut out. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys the photos.
On Christmas Eve we went to the roller coaster at New York, New York. Adrienne, Dan, and Bryce rode it. I ran to the top of the parking garage to see if I could get a good shot, and this is what I got. You can see Bryce is 4th row from the back, while Dan is right behind him and Adrienne's face is just visible in the same row as Dan (but just to the right of Bryce's face).
Christmas Day we opened gifts and even made a trip to the hot tub and heated pool. Kim made cooked up a Ham with some potatoes and vegetables. It was just a great day. We even took time to watch the church video "Joy to the World". On Friday the Clydes headed home. Little Tyson wasn't feeling too well so they decided to head back just in case. We spent that evening in St. George with our good friends Brent and Andrea (and of course little Gabriel). I even got a good shot of St. George with the snowy mountains int he background.
I started getting sick the last couple days, but we still managed to stop by and see the Todds. They even had more of their family around than normal, and it was great to catch up with them. We decided to head back fairly early since I was not well. The sun set an hour or so before we actually got home so we stopped to take a couple quick photos. I think this post rambles a little but I didn't know what to cut out. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys the photos.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
MY SISTER IS ENGAGED!
Lost in all the shuffle of my last post is the fact that my sister got engaged last Wednesday!!! Here she is with Austin at Heidi's reception. They make a great couple. I'm so excited for her...even though he is a U of U fan.
You can tell Sarah is engaged in the next photo. This was the bouquet toss. She doesn't even lift her arm to catch the flowers even though they were practically thrown right to her. Arms at her sides, she just watches.
You can tell Sarah is engaged in the next photo. This was the bouquet toss. She doesn't even lift her arm to catch the flowers even though they were practically thrown right to her. Arms at her sides, she just watches.
Weddings Galore
So we had two weddings this past weekend. I figured people might like to see photos from both. Before we get to the photos though...the weather was crazy. Han was married in Bountiful and Heidi in Provo.
I can't believe Han is all grown up. I taught Han and her cousin, My, the gospel in Australia when I was a missionary there. This first photo was taken right as Han and Kyle came out of the Bountiful Temple. I can't believe how well it came out. I love the snow falling and the expressions of those watching.
Heidi is my wife's littlest sister. I got to stay behind with Heidi and Trevor while the photographer took all the pictures of just the two of them while everyone else headed over for the luncheon. It was cold, but it gave me the chance to take some really neat pictures. There are two fountains at the Provo temple. One was turned off which allowed us to take this beautiful reflection shot with the temple and the 2nd fountain behind them.
The In-Laws left with Heather and Nick this morning. It was nice having them with us for the Wedding festivities, but it was definitely nice to have this afternoon to ourselves.
Tuesday is the day we head down to the time share in Vegas for Christmas. I can't wait to see Phantom of the Opera with Adrienne at the Venetian. Also, it will be good to spend some quality time with our friends (Dan and Kim plus their kids, Danielle and Bryce).
I can't believe Han is all grown up. I taught Han and her cousin, My, the gospel in Australia when I was a missionary there. This first photo was taken right as Han and Kyle came out of the Bountiful Temple. I can't believe how well it came out. I love the snow falling and the expressions of those watching.
Heidi is my wife's littlest sister. I got to stay behind with Heidi and Trevor while the photographer took all the pictures of just the two of them while everyone else headed over for the luncheon. It was cold, but it gave me the chance to take some really neat pictures. There are two fountains at the Provo temple. One was turned off which allowed us to take this beautiful reflection shot with the temple and the 2nd fountain behind them.The In-Laws left with Heather and Nick this morning. It was nice having them with us for the Wedding festivities, but it was definitely nice to have this afternoon to ourselves.
Tuesday is the day we head down to the time share in Vegas for Christmas. I can't wait to see Phantom of the Opera with Adrienne at the Venetian. Also, it will be good to spend some quality time with our friends (Dan and Kim plus their kids, Danielle and Bryce).
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
New Lens
Hi everyone! So I got a digital SLR camera for our anniversary a few weeks ago...now for Christmas I get a second lens. I want to use it at the two weddings coming up, so Adrienne let me open it early. It doesn't zoom, but it is exceedingly clear and fast in comparison. I took a picture of an ornament on our Christmas tree to show just how cool it is. Feel free to click on the image to see a bigger version.
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