Great weekend

President's Day weekend couldn't have come at a better time for our little clan. The weather was better than perfect—about 80º. Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right. I had been working a lot lately, and have a lot of late nights and weekends coming up soon, so it was a well needed break. There is nothing better than spending three straight days with m'lil ladies, going to the beach and eating great food. And hey, we even mixed in the Olympics and NBA All-Star game into our festivities. Not too shabby.

Friday:
Cotixan (our favorite Mexican joint)
Opening Ceremonies

Saturday:
Lil Piggy's BBQ and some quality grass/beach time for Penny on Coronado. Mmmm, Lil Piggy's.
Let Penny run wild at UTC mall, followed by delicious Subway footlongs. NBA All-Star Saturday night. Olympics

Sunday:
Church, nap, hung out in the park so Penny could kick the ball around, made dinner for the ladies. All-Star game, more Olympics

Monday:
In N' Out, Mission Beach (an absolutely gorgeous day there, huge waves to watch, chased Penny up and down the boardwalk as she zigged and zagged in front of bikers, walkers and skateboarders. Pinkberry in Hillcrest with Dre (Mel's favorite frozen yogurt). Dominos Pizza and more Olympics for dinner, oh yeah, and another far-fetched and ridiculous episode of 24 that we still can't take our eyes off of.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, here are a few pics of the festivities.

She loves to put on as many headbands as she can possible fit on her head.
Here I think there's just two, but I've seen as many as five.


Another of her new favorite things to do: draw/color. I love the wide stance.


Hey there!


We finally got her to sit in the sand and play.
Usually she gets mad that her hands are dirty.


Just a gorgeous sight, that is all.

Another recent development: standing on the edge of a chair, then
running/dancing in place. I think it's just to try and get me riled up.


Doesn't get any better than this.


Or this.


Watching a kite.


"Hey, that's my dad!"


Penny trying to drink my Coke. Mel trying to look too cool.


She loves taking my big drinks, then trying to drink out of the straw, even if nothing is in there. Plus, she now copies me and always wants to crunch ice. Oops. (click to see bigger)


I got a big bucket and a big Coke, what else would I need?


Sorry that there aren't any sexy pics of me in my apron making Valentine's dinner! Oh well, maybe next time. As you can see, it was a great weekend.

Thinking of you Pop

Hard to believe that three years ago today my dad passed away.

In some ways it seems like was just three months ago that Melissa and I were awakened by that 4 am phone call, then scrambled to make it to Utah in time to spend those last few hours at his side. I remember so many details as if it was just last week. I never leave my phone next to my bed on a Friday night, since I don't like being awakened by early calls on Saturday. But a few days before this I started leaving on my nightstand—just in case.

When the phone rang, I woke quickly, and I still remember the first thing I thought when I saw the clock was, "uh oh." Then I looked at the phone and saw that it was coming from my mom, and it was "double uh oh". It's the type of phone call that I knew would come someday, but I really didn't think it would be coming so soon.

I've told the story before, but my mom informed me that he had taken a turn for the worse during the night, and things weren't looking good. We all made the decision that Mel and I would come up to see him. But not until we landed in SLC at around 6 pm, did I realize how bad it was. I kept thinking on the plane, "will this be a recurring thing, that he'll take a turn for the worse, we'll come up and see him, then he'll recover and live for a while?" Melissa's mom had cancer for six years, and she definitely went through a lot of ups and downs.

Alan was there to greet us at the airport, and I immediately asked, "how bad is it? Is this it?" He basically said, "yes, we need to get to the hospital fast, so you can spend some time with him before he goes."

You don't know how glad I was that we were able to spend about four hours with him at his side. He was unresponsive, but still, I know somewhere in there he could hear the words that we were saying. But luckily, these aren't my lasting memories of my dad. I have so many good ones, I can't even count. He was (and still is) the best dad in the world. My biggest goal in life is to be as good of a father to Penny as he was to me. I think my fondest memories of him are when I was with him on road trips, driving across country. It was during those times driving back roads in the middle of nowhere Kansas, watching TV in motel rooms across the country or at a baseball game at Fenway Park that we bonded and became closer.

He was a hard ass. But he was a softy. He was gruff. But he was sweet. His tough exterior could easily be melted away, if you took the time to get to know him.

I know that he is in a better place, but that doesn't stop me from wishing that he was here today, bouncing little Peanut on his knee.

Here's dad being a clown, taking a self-portrait with m'camera.


Here he is doing his favorite thing: playing with his grand kids.


Dad, we love you and miss you, and we're always thinking about you.

Rachel Thurston = Awesome Photographer

So, Rachel Thurston is this amazing girl who met and married one of my best friends, Hot Grant Porter. Upon meeting Rachel, Mel and I immediately felt like we were close friends with Rachel. She is a champ, and when Peanut was about three months old, she came and did an amazing photo shoot with Mel, Penny and me.

Next time you need some pics, whether lifestyle, portrait, landscape, editorial or whatever, please consider her. She's the best. And hey, she's even giving away a trip to Seattle, so what's not to like?

Do me the honor of checking out her website here:

http://www.rachelthurston.com/blog/

Thanks.