Nate the blog

What I want to be when I grow up

2011-11-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Jess and I now have an 18 month old son. We've been talking, and we decided it is about time we starting setting really high expectations for Logan, so he has some direction in life. Of course we won't demand he follow in the footsteps of his dad. Instead, we will just give him a list of acceptable life paths and let him choose from that list. Or, as is the case with a lot of reality TV shows, maybe we should let the viewers (or in this case the readers) decide. Feel free to vote for your favorite, and we will try to steer Logan accordingly.

Hydrologist

Ornithologist

Off road guide

Cow (Might not be the easiest career path. Logan says Ooo! instead of Moo!)

Juggler (he'd work up to flaming bowling pins)

Spelunker

Paleontologist

Professional wrestler (The first gun show is free)

Football player (His "We're #1" isn't quite convincing yet)

Sand castle builder

Tower builder

Sweatshirt model or diaper model (he'd have to decide quickly on that one)

Jedi Master

May the force be with you...

Logan's Day with Dad

2011-07-31T18:11:00.000-06:00

This last Friday, Jess had girl's camp. I took the day off from work to spend with Logan. It was a great day for both of us.

Logan's day started out as normal: breakfast, play, nap. Then, we went hiking to Donut Falls up Big Cottonwood Canyon. It is a really pretty hike and not too far for me to carry Logan. Logan really enjoyed playing by the water and picking up rocks and throwing them back in. He enjoyed it so much, he had a hard time leaving when it was time to go.

After the hike, we went out for lunch at Cafe Rio, then had some secret birthday shopping to do for Jess. To top the day off, we went to a splash park in Eagle Mountain where Logan just ran around playing in the water.

I think Logan had a pretty good day with Dad. I don't often get a lot of days away from work to spend with just me and Logan, so I had to make the most of it. Logan was pretty tired when we got home, but hopefully he had good dreams that night of hanging out with Dad.

Memorable Memorial trip to California

2011-06-12T21:19:00.001-06:00

Two weeks ago, for Memorial day, Jess, Logan and I drove out to California to visit Steph, Jeff and their family. It is a long drive that we did over two days, and we were really testing the waters with Logan, since we hadn't ever done a road trip that long with him before. He turned out to be a pretty good traveler. It was usually either Jess or me that ended up getting fussy during the long lonely stretches of I-80 through Nevada.

On our way out, we decided to take a detour through Lake Tahoe. Neither Jess nor I had been there before, and it really isn't too far out of the way. Plus, we needed a place to break in our new baby carrier.

It was still chilly up at Tahoe, but the Lake is beautiful and surrounded by snow covered peaks. We did a little research online before visiting, and decided that the hikes on the south end of the lake would be a welcomed break to driving in the car.

We chose to hike to Cascade Falls. It wasn't a hard choice given our two options. It seems like after driving through Nevada and western Utah, we had enough of desolation.

The hike was beautiful. There is still a lot of snow but all the melt made the falls all the better. You can see the falls in the middle of the picture below below the large tree's branches.

Logan liked his view and dad got a good workout.

Jess and Logan overlooking Cascade Falls.

The hike to Cascade Falls was the only hike we were able to do. We had actually planned on one other hike, but we couldn't find the trail head after driving through a very narrow and windy road that made Jess car sick. It also started to rain on us, and so we figured the second hike wasn't meant to be.

After the hike (and before looking for the second trail head), we did stop at a really crowded beach. The area was a state park, so we had to pay to get in, but the lady at the gate said if we were only going to be there for 15 minutes, she'd give us our money back. It was tough to navigate the crowds to get back in time, but we just made it.

Logan loves playing in the sand. We knew this because of a previous sand box experience that if you would like more details, you'll have to talk to Jess.

Logan loves sand so much that he had a hard time leaving as evidenced below, but we were on a tight agenda. He decided not to pose as nice as Jess in this picture.

We made it to California just in time for dinner. Jeff and Steph were so nice and accommodating. From the minute we got there, Brooke was inseparable from "baby Logan." It was so cute to watch their interaction.

The next day, we went with everyone to San Francisco. We tried to stop at the Golden Gate bridge for a photo op, but due to construction, we missed the overlook. No worries as I'm sure there will be other chances to prove we really were at the Golden Gate bridge. Instead, we went straight to the San Francisco zoo.

Logan thought he would really stand out if he didn't smile like everyone else.

This gorilla really knew how to pose for the camera.

Logan seemed very concerned about something.

Each time we visit a zoo in different places, we always have our favorites. We figure if we can combine all our favorite displays from each zoo, we'd have the perfect zoo. From San Francisco, we'd take the gorillas, grizzly bears, and snow leopard.

After the zoo, we went down to Fisherman's Wharf. We had lunch at Joe's crab shack. I don't think anyone ordered sea food. I guess we are a bunch of landlubbers. The burger I had was really good though. Jess and I ventured off on our own after Jeff and Steph went home. We saw a submarine, a merchant marine ship, and an arcade museum.

Jess with the Golden Gate bridge in the distance.

We also stopped at Ghirardelli square for some delicious chocolate.

On our walk back to our car, we saw the scene below down a back alley. It was funny to see all of these people practicing their segway skills. Jess had to snap a photo. It started to downpour shortly after this, and on our drive back through San Francisco, we did see the segway tour. No one looked like they were having much fun.

The segway tour group was definitely not having as much fun as Jess and Logan overlooking the San Francisco skyline.

Our day in San Francisco was our most touristy day. The rest of the time we spent with family. We all had fun playing. Logan loved seeing his cousins. One evening, we went to the park near Steph and Jeff's house to play kickball. Seth was really cute. He kept his helmet on the entire time, on and off his bike. Safety first.

Everyone was helping Seth know where to run next.

Brooke helped Logan go down the slide multiple times.

A trip to Steph and Jeff's wouldn't be complete without playing Legos with Jon and Josh.

I built a dream house for me and Jess, complete with command center, weapons stockpile, turrets, a missile launcher and a dinner table. My chair swivels so I can go from eating to launching rockets without having to get up.

Our last day in California, we went to another park for a fun picnic.

Brooke was showing how far she can jump.

More Logan time for Brooke.

Seth climbing on the park toys.

Brooke climbing over the tube, rather than through it.

Jess is pregnant by the way, in case anyone missed our previous blog posts.

Brooke loves her cousin, and I'm sure Logan feels the same. They were so cute holding hands down the slide. We hope neither have suffered too much separation anxiety since leaving.

Josh escaping from the rock.

Logan spending a little time on his own.

It was mom's turn to take Logan down the slide.

Jon and Josh posing.

Logan turned out to be a great traveler. He slept a lot in his car seat. We were relieved, because it really could have gone either way.

We loved our trip and wished we could have stayed longer. Thanks to Steph and Jeff for letting us come visit.

Philips Baby Viewing Machine

2011-06-05T20:46:00.000-06:00

Saturdays are typically days I like to sleep in. I figure it is the one day I get to sleep a little longer than normal. Yesterday was not destined to be such a day. Jess scheduled a trip to Salt Lake City. We had to be there by 8 am, which meant waking up at 7:12 in order to be out the door by 7:15. I guess it was sleeping in for me, but not what I had in mind.

The reason for needing to be in Salt Lake by 8 am is because of technology. Yes, technology and Eagle Mountains lack thereof. Believe it or not, there are no ultra sound machines within walking distance of our house. Luckily, Philips was nice enough to sell one to Salt Lake City.

As most of you should know, Jess' recent weight gain is due to the fact she is pregnant. In fact, she is 22 weeks pregnant. And rather than hold off on purchasing new stuff until after the baby comes, Jess decided we need to get started right away. The first step is knowing what color to buy.

The ultrasound technician had a hard time finding the gender of the Junior #2 who was being modest. How different a personality already from Logan who had not qualms about sitting spread eagle for us. Well, at long last, we did find out. And the verdict? A little girl.

For the record, before we found out, we each guessed at the gender. I let Jess go first. She said boy. I, of course, then had to choose girl, which I would have chosen anyway.

Logan in the Park

2011-04-03T20:48:00.003-06:00

To celebrate one of the first warm days of spring, we decided to go and have a picnic in the park. We packed up a lunch and made our way to the Lehi city park. We didn't have a portable chair for Logan, so feeding him proved to be a small challenge since he was mobile, but somehow we got the food in.

There were a lot of kids playing at the park, so during lunch we kept our eye on the baby swing. Once we got the chance, we threw Logan on. This was his first time and wasn't sure what to make of it. We think he started to enjoy it by the end, but by his facial expressions, it was hard to tell. No crying though, so we know he didn't dislike the experience.

Next up was the slide. Another first for Logan. Again, not quite sure how he enjoyed it. He first went down with mom, then with dad. Not a very long ride with dad though. I think I enjoyed the two second ride a little bit more than Logan.

I thought after a ride down holding my hands, Logan was ready for a little more independence. Mom got real nervous when I let go, but Logan actually enjoyed the slide much more on his own.

Back to the swing for a quick ride with Jess. He enjoyed this ride much more as a passenger.

Once the yawns started, we decided that was all the fun Logan could handle for one day.

It didn't take much for Logan to fall asleep on the way home.

Dog Wrestling

2011-03-20T18:45:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the Eagle Mountain dog wrestling match of the month.

In one corner, weighing in at a stalwart 20 lbs, wearing red, white, and black stripes, we have the master of disaster, the crawling kid, the bashful baby, Logan. Logan's signature moves include gripping, grunting, and being cute. Watch out for his ear grabbing takedown.

In the other corner, weighing in at a muscular 45 lbs, wearing black and white, we have the cunning canine, the friendly fido, Canyon. Canyon's signature moves include getting up and walking away and ignoring you. Watch out when he gets that tongue moving. Nothing will distract you more than dog slobber on your face.

After the two minute round, it looks like this match goes to Logan by forfeit.

Siberian Escape Artist

2011-03-20T18:19:00.001-06:00

We have a peculiar dog. Just like people, I think all dogs have a unique personality. Our dog Canyon, a Siberian Husky, does not like to be confined to a kennel. If it were up to him, he would be free to roam the many fields Eagle Mountain has to offer. In fact, many times, he has done just that. He figures out how to escape and then sprints off. Luckily he has always come back. I'd like to think it is because he likes our family so much, but it is more likely due to the fact that his food bowl is here.

When we first got our kennel, Canyon immediately went to work finding the weak points. He has dug through under several places, including places I put chicken wire down to reinforce. He has undone the links in the chain link fence and shoved his way through. And he has gotten out over the top. We always figured he jumped, because a few times from the corner of her eye, Jess saw him leaping over the top. Today, we captured on film just how he does it. Leaping alone would certainly attest to his athletic prowess, but this method of escape shows off athleticism as well as the ability to assess and overcome obstacles.

Conquering Everest

2011-03-13T21:49:00.001-06:00

Logan has taken up a new sport: Stair climbing. For some babies, that task may seem insurmountable. Not Logan. He was born to climb. We first learned of this talent at church when he got away and without warning made his way to the pew. He also crawls very fast and we didn't get to him in time. There were two stairs in his way and without hesitation and without having climbed stairs before, he went right on up. Then for the real challenge: a full set of stairs at our house. No problem. Climbing stairs has become one of his favorite things to do. He hasn't quite figured out how to come down, but I'm sure will master that shortly.

Jess wanted me to mention that the theme for that day was stripes.

Craving for Subway

2011-03-06T18:23:00.001-07:00

One thing you should know about me and Jess, is that we rarely eat at Subway. I think one of the last times we ate there, we were traveling, and it was the closest restaurant around at lunchtime. So, I was quite surprised one day on my way home from work to get a call from Jess asking if I could stop at Subway to pick up a couple sandwiches for dinner. That was a change from our normal home cooked meals, but I didn't see any problem with that. I got Jess a baked chicken sub with everything on it. That is what she said she'd been craving.

After I got Subway, I called to make sure there wasn't anything else she'd like. Well, it just so happens that she also wanted some Sun Chips and some Sprite. That is typical for this type of meal, so I stopped at Walmart to pick up the chips and soda. However, things started to get a little odd when she found out I was going to Walmart to get the chips and soda. She requested I pick up tator tots stating again, that she'd been craving them. I ended up leaving Walmart with chips, sprite, tator tots, and cookies.

After this unusual behavior, I started to pay a little bit more attention to Jessica's subtleties. I noticed that Jess has been eating a lot more. This has led to Jess feeling sick in the mornings (from 8 am to noon to be precise) and Jess has also started to put on weight. Normally, I wouldn't say anything, but since her belly started to expand, I tactfully asked if she was doing alright. That's when I noticed the moodiness. Jess has been wearing her emotions on her sleeve.

I can't explain what is happening, and I'm not sure what to do other than to be my normal patient self. If any of you have experienced similar situations, maybe you could help me understand what is happening to my wife?

Stretchy Pants

2010-10-27T21:19:00.000-06:00

Jess left me alone with Logan. So, in my efforts to entertain, I searched through Logan's wardrobe to find a Halloween Costume. Jess thinks he will be cute as Tigger. I think he would be much cuter as Nacho Libre. But, since it started snowing here a couple days ago, I think the much warmer Tigger costume will win out.

"Chancho. When you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room. It's for fun." ~Nacho

On...Onward to Atlanta!

2010-10-23T21:40:00.002-06:00

Our last stop on our vacation took us to Atlanta. During a family reunion in July, we received news from our bro-in-law Matt that sometime in September our niece would be born and our nephew would be baptized. I made the comment that we would be there. I think Matt was skeptical, but the vacation was already in the works at that time, and hey, if we are already doing a multi-city trip, why not stop in Atlanta? I wasn't particularly interested in any schools there (no offense to the most humid city ever), but I thought it would be great to see family. And so on to Atlanta...

We stayed near a place called Stone Mountain Park. So on Friday, being so close, we decided to take advantage of all this park had to offer. The actual Stone Mountain is a granite outcropping rising above a lot of trees and lakes. There is a tram to the top, as well as a hiking trail. When we got out of our car to start the adventure, the heat and humidity hit me like a wall of tiredness and so we took the tram.

At the top, we explored around for a little while. It was very bright and Jess was wise enough to wear sunglasses.

I tried to pose without sunglasses with little success. The sun was was formidable. Logan luckily had his fisherman hat pulled low over his eyes.

Stone Mountain is like the Mt. Rushmore of the south. There is a carving in the granite of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis. Quite impressive actually. They have a laser show here in the evenings, but we were unable to attend.

We explored the park further and here are a few of the things we found. Most of the stuff was closed, so I guess a Friday in September is not optimal for a visit. First off, a steamboat. I bet it moves pretty slow around the many lakes in the park.

We found a carillon (kind of like an organ with bells instead of pipes). The carillon is the tower thing behind Jess. They have live performance, but alas, not on the day we were there. I wonder what it takes to become the master carillonneur.

They used to quarry a ton of granite from this mountain, but stopped in 1973. This is all that is left.

I found a display showing the type of job in mining I would apply for if I were to quarry granite. Actually, come to think of it, I would probably be recruited since I fit the job title so well.

Jess crashed a wedding reception to get this shot of the waterfall.

The water turning this old grist mill actually came out of a modern looking PVC pipe. I was a little disappointed.

It is good luck to kiss while under a covered bridge. So of course we had to stop.

One other great thing going on in Stone Mountain while we were there was a Segway Convention. Yes, an actual convention. I don't know how we didn't get pictures of this. They had a polo course set up and were playing polo while riding Segways. Who needs horses anyways? The Segway guys were riding all over the park. I thought Brian would love to be a part of that. Maybe next year, huh?

Back at our hotel, we had our first swimming adventure with Logan. Turns out, he actually loves the water and swimming. It helped that the hotel pool was heated up like a hot tub, (the hot tub was heated up like the sun and we stayed clear).

The next day was spent with family. We actually started off the morning by hiking up to the top of Stone Mountain. The insurmountable wall of heat and humidity was conquered, although we did get an earlier start. The hike was actually quite nice. In the photo below is Matt with his kids Calvin and Caleb, Jess' dad David, me, Logan, Jess, and Matt's daughter Sadie.

Matt got a head start down with the boys. You can vaguely see Atlanta in the back ground. Strangely enough, our trip to "Atlanta" didn't actually take us into Atlanta.

The sun was still formidable this morning. Taking a lesson from my son, I came prepared with a hat. Jess simply looked away.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with Matt and his family. They have a really cute new baby girl named Liberty. I somehow did not get any pictures of her. We celebrated Calvin's birthday that night. I competed against a bunch of primary kids in building a rocket. I do think my rocket went the highest, but thinking of the song, "It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to," I wisely did not say anything (except to Jess later on. "I'm so proud of you," she said to me).

Showing off my high flying rocket.

I don't know how we didn't get any more pictures of family or of the baptism on this trip, but I guess the camera ran out of battery. The baby blessing, baptism, and time spent with family were all really nice. We got to see where Matt and Rachel live and spend some really good time with them and their family. Atlanta was a nice end to our trip. We left for the airport shortly after all the events on Sunday were finished.

Thus, the sun set on our vacation.

Pittsburgh: America's Most Livable City

2010-10-17T21:16:00.002-06:00

Pittsburgh was recently selected by Forbe's magazine as America's most livable city. As many of you know, I have been considering moving to Pittsburgh to go to school. Jess and I decided to check it out for ourselves to see just how livable Pittsburgh is.

We flew from Chicago to Pittsburgh on a Saturday. The flight went just fine for Logan. When we got to Pittsburgh, we found out they left our bag in Chicago and it would be a few hours until it arrived, but the airline said they would deliver it to our hotel. Once we got to our hotel, we all fell asleep. Logan must have been pretty tired because he slept about 3 hours that afternoon. I was more than happy to nap during that time. I'm not sure what Jess did because I was sleeping. We explored the area around our hotel, and again found a mall and shopping areas. In our hotels on this trip, we booked suites with kitchens so we could do our own cooking and save on going out.

Sunday, day 2 in Pittsburgh, we attempted to find a church. Google led us to one, and the church's website posted a starting time of 1 pm. We of course chose the late start time. Unfortunately, the ward website did not list stake conference dates. When we got to the building, we noted how small the ward must be because there were only a few cars in the lot. Turns out, stake conference ended an hour prior to our arrival.

So, we made a lunch and went into nearby park to enjoy the greenery. Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas are very green with lots of trees. It is very pretty. And some trees had just started to change color.

Jess caught me eating lunch. My peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich was very good.

Jess truly enjoying herself out in nature.

Logan truly enjoying himself out in nature.

Where does the path to nowhere lead...

To a waterfall of course.

On Monday, day 3, we decided to go to the zoo. Naturally, I was too busy plotting the most efficient path through the zoo to look up for this photo. Turns out, the zoo did that for us already as there was only one path through the zoo.

Jess liked the lion. Most lions I've seen in the zoo sit around, but this one got up for us and even roared. The roar was actually very impressive and I can't imagine hearing that in the wild.

The elephants were gathering while Jess posed for this picture.

Whoa! What a long fish.

The polar bear was my favorite. They had an underwater viewing area and the polar bear was very active. He kept playing with this blue ball. He would take it onto land, throw the ball in the water, then jump in after it. He definitely knew how to have a good time and woo the crowd.

This was actually the pool at our hotel. We decided not to go for a swim.

After a long day at the zoo. Jess and Logan both got tired of posing for pictures.

On our way out, the Tiger decided to give us a quick show and he paced around his pen. It must have been feeding time.

We speculated that bus parking is reserved based on matching tree color.

Tuesday, day 4 in Pittsburgh, we stopped at Carnegie Mellon. It is another university I am considering attending. The campus is much more urban than Northwestern, but still a very cool campus. They also have great museums there.

We naturally had to do our best dinosaur impressions.

This stegosaurus, along with many of the dinosaurs in this museum, were actually found in Utah.

T-Rex is always impressive.

Just don't disturb them during dinner.

Jess admiring a Monet in the art museum.

This buffalo had a mohawk. Turns out, he used the same hairdresser as Logan (see previous blog entry "The Golden Mohawk").

Wednesday, day 5: our visit to the botanical garden and conservatory. Logan was excited as ever.

Gargoyles were on display that day.

But Jess wouldn't let me keep one.

Jess by her favorite orchid.

As long as Logan was fed, he was pretty happy. I think he was getting hungry in this shot.

This was one of four butterflies left from the hundreds that they had in the conservatory a few weeks earlier.

Watch where you step!

Logan was happy to leave, but probably not related to his experience at the gardens.

On our way back that night, we drove around Pittsburgh for quite a while. This area has a lot of hills and the usual trustworthy google maps does not portray that on a 2D map. So, it tooks us quite a while to find the Grandview Park. And when we got there, it was in a seemingly dodgy neighborhood, so Jess wasn't about to spend more than 5 minutes there. But I did convince her to at least get out of the car to take some pictures. No one tried to recruit us into their gang while we were there. Whew, we were perfectly safe.

Logan getting a snack in before bedtime.

Our flight out of Pittsburgh was not until 5, so we decided to catch a Pirates game at PNC Park before we left. We actually stood in line for tickets next to a guy who had coupons for free tickets, which he gave to us. Thank you complete stranger. We also got free Pirates shirts when we got in. Turns out when the team isn't very good, there are a lot of incentives to go to the games.

So, here is the inning breakdown. 1st inning: Logan undecided on whether he likes baseball...

2nd inning: Still undecided...

3rd inning: Logan doesn't like baseball when he is hungry and tired, so Jess went to feed him. I watched the game.

4th inning: Logan finally "enjoying" baseball...

5th inning: Still enjoying the game...

6th inning: The opposing team, the St. Louis Cardinals, hit a homerun. The Cardinals ended up winning.

7th inning: Logan still really enjoying the game. We couldn't stay longer because we wanted to beat traffic and get to the airport on time for our flight. It was a fun game.

So, is Pittsburgh the most livable city? I'd say it has a shot. It is definitely livable. We really enjoyed this city, the zoo, museums, gardens, the university, and the baseball game and made a lot of fun memories.

The Windy City! No, not Eagle Mountain...

2010-10-09T14:23:00.002-06:00

On September 15, Jessica, Logan and I embarked on our adventure to visit a few places we had never been. Our first stop was Chicago. Chicago is home to a couple baseball teams, a football team, really tall buildings, great museums, delicious pizza, as well as a couple universities that I wanted to get a first hand look at as potential options for furthering my education. Plus, we just thought it would be fun place to visit. And it certainly did not let us down.

We flew to Chicago. It was Logan's first flight. We were a little apprehensive, but overall it was a good experience. I think this first flight was the easiest of our four flights for the trip. He was well rested and he ate on take off and landing.

We stayed about 30 minutes outside of Chicago because it is much cheaper. We found a great hotel and it had a nearby mall. We didn't know what to do that first night we were there, so we went exploring. And we found a Lego store. I was not disappointed by this visit to the mall.

Logan was generally very happy on this trip, especially considering his nap schedule was all thrown off. Most of his naps were in the car or in the stroller. So we tried to spend a good portion of the evening in the hotel to relax. Here Logan is showing off his pretty blues.

Our first day in Chicago we went to the Museum of Science and Industry as recommended by our friends John and Holly who had been earlier this year. It was a great museum and there was probably too much to see in one day, but we made a valiant effort. Here I am in front of an actual German U-Boat.

I also got to drive a combine harvester, although, the steering, accelerator, and brakes did not work, and I think it also didn't have real wheels, but that didn't stop the fun.

After the museum closed, we decided to head into downtown, but made a quick pitstop at a park near Lake Michigan. It was super windy (a la Eagle Mountain) so it created some beautiful waves crashing against the shoreline.

Our main draw to the city was Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and the Skydeck, a four foot glass-floor extension over the city a mere 103 stories up. Jess was a little apprehensive about going out, but I found it exhillarating. We did get a hard copy photo of us together on the Skydeck as proof that Jess went out there, but I'll have to upload it later once I get it scanned in.

The morning of our second day in Chicago was spent on the campus of Northwestern University. It is a beautiful campus on the shore of Lake Michigan about 30 minutes north of Chicago. It has some really amazing parks nearby. After visiting, this is definitely a top choice of schools for me. No plan yet to apply, but we are open to whatever the future might bring.

After our campus visit, we went back to Chicago to spend the rest of the day at the Shedd Aquarium. The picture below is actually Jess in front of the Natural History Museum, but we ended up not having enough time to visit.

Here is Jess in front of the Aquarium. It was a nice aquarium with some really cool displays. Jess liked the penguins best. I liked the whales and dolphins.

This is a piranha display. You can see our reflections in the glass. When Logan was awake, the fish were really good at keeping his attention.

This is a self picture right before their dolphin and whale show. We had really high hopes, and don't get me wrong, it was pretty good, but not quite as cool or fast-paced as SeaWorld. Hard to beat killer whales though. We did have a good time though, and I really wanted a copy of the techno-fantasy soundtrack.

This was our last evening in Chicago and we got a few pictures with the skyline behind us. Chicago is a really cool city and definitely a place I would not hesitate to visit again, and I would even consider living there. Plus, we had Chicago style deep dish pizza our last night, and I must say, it was definitely worth the calories that one night.

Laboring at Capitol Reef

2010-10-03T19:22:00.000-06:00

This last Labor Day, I did not have to labor in the normal way. Instead, I got to labor by hiking through and camping in Capitol Reef National Park. This park is located in south central Utah near the thriving metropolitan area of Torrey, Utah. It is one of the least visited national parks in the country. That is a sad statistic for this beautiful park in Utah's red rock country.

Since we had never been there, Jess and I packed up Logan and brought along our friends John and Holly for a three day adventure to this incredible park. Come along as we share our adventure with you.

While Jess and I were at Capitol Reef, we each picked out a "castle."

I think my "castle" was cooler.

Logan and I peering through a hole in the rock.

John and Holly above and Jess and I below what we thought was our destination: a natural bridge.

Turns out this was the natural bridge the hike led to. Much bigger and much cooler.

Logan and I checking out some petroglyphs.

Logan's pose was highly entertaining to John.

Ancient Indian hand trap.

Pioneer road through a deep slot canyon.

This formation had a name, but I can't remember. What would you name it?

Egyptian temple.

John and Holly melting from the radiation emanating from an old Uranium mine.

Uranium mined here was used by pioneers for medicinal purposes. Probably didn't work out for them quite the way they hoped.

Road through Capitol Reef.

Logan and I at our destination...

...old Pioneer water storage.

Jess with her hiking "game face" on.

Overlooking a deep canyon at the north end of the park.

Same canyon but looking to the south. We were standing on a very sturdy rock that wasn't as close to the cliff as it appears in this photo. No dangling baby Logan for a photo op.

Needless to say, this was a very fun trip to Capitol Reef. We are trying to take advantage of all the beautiful places in Utah that we have not had the opportunity to visit. I would recommend this park to anyone.

Kennecott Refinery One Minute Challenge

2010-09-30T20:50:00.007-06:00

It is about time I get back into the blogging world. I have much to blog about, so check back frequently for what is hopefully an entertaining blogger bomb.

First off, Minute to Win It - Kennecott Refinery Style.

The Kennecott Refinery recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. I was given a few tickets to invite family to come see this unassuming yet amazing facility on the north end of the Oquirrh Mountains. I think out of all of the guests that day, Logan enjoyed it best since he got an aquatic lizard hat that he got to wear.The refinery is the last stop for producing copper, gold, and silver before it is shipped off to customers all over the world. The refinery was open to a self guided tour of most of the facility. We were able to see the whole process from where the anodes are received to where it is processed into 99.99% pure copper. We were also allowed to see a gold bar and a silver bar.

The gold bar is worth a mere $520,000. Sadly, that was not in our gift bag. There was however, a very cool aluminum water bottle in our gift bag that now becomes the subject of this blog.

After touring the facility, I challenged all of the tour guests to a little game. The question: How much did you learn about copper and how it is processed? Time Limit: 1 minute. The judge: my ever faithful readers, You. After watching the following contestants attempt to describe where copper comes from, comment below on whose description you think is the best, most creative, most informative, or whatever criteria you like. The winner will receive some Kennecott paraphernalia including the very water bottle pictured above.

First off, the insightful Staci...

Not bad. Next up, the ever observant Brad...

Last but not least, the intrepid dream team Jess, Newel, and Hilary. These camera shy folk decided to work together. Judges, you may vote for one, or all three, but there is still but one water bottle to share. They may need to pass it around, but hey, they are family.

Blessing Day

2010-07-18T20:28:00.005-06:00

July 4th is always a nice day. It is the day most American's celebrate our independence. I have always liked this holiday, mostly for fireworks and Neil Diamonds tribute to America. This year though, it was special for another reason. Logan was given a name and blessed in our LDS Church ward in Eagle Mountain. I was able to perform the ordinance along with two of my brothers, my father, Jess' father, two of Jess' brothers, two brothers-in-law, and our good bishop. Many other family members came to share in this special day for Logan.

Logan was given the name Logan Heikki Armstrong. We really like the name Logan, and partially he may be named after Logan city, where I grew up and where Jess went to college. His middle name, Heikki, is after his great-great grandfather Heikki Kahkonen (Americanized as Henry Kohkonen). Heikki Kahkonen immigrated to the United States from Finland to work. He made his way to Utah and worked for the coal mines in central Utah. My mom Carol has a great blog about him if you'd like to learn more about him. When choosing his middle name, we both just felt a connection to our ancestors and wanted Logan to also share in his heritage.

After the blessing, we had family and friends come over for lunch. We are so grateful to all of our family members who came to support us. It was an absolutely wonderful day. For those of you who couldn't make it, hopefully you can enjoy the photos below to see Logan on his special day.

Logan in his full get-up. We opted not to make him wear the hat in Church, but forced it upon him for some candid shots later.

Logan with his mom.

Logan laying on a blanket his great-grandmother Eva Kohkonen made for him.

Logan with his grandma and grandpa Mecham.

Logan with his grandma and grandpa Armstrong.

Classic four generation picture.

Logan and his proud grandpa Armstrong.

Thanks again to everyone for your love and support. We look forward to having the rest of our friends and family come and meet Logan.

The Golden Mohawk

2010-07-08T19:19:00.002-06:00

This is the day every father looks forward to. The day mom leaves dad and his son home alone while she goes to the gym. And I don't mean that comment in way to imply that Jess needs to go to the gym because she really looks great. I was simply excited to watch Logan as you'll see below.

As Jess was leaving, she asked me to give Logan a bath, which I'm happy to do. He is slowly starting to like bathtime. He cries a bit, but I think he cries because he thinks he is supposed to cry. Every so often though, he shows signs of liking the bath.

After his bath, I decided to comb his hair. This is the part I couldn't do with Jess here. This is the reason I was happy to babysit my son.

At first, Logan didn't like his new hairstyle.

Then he decided it was okay.

Then he got tired of the attention, fell asleep, and started blowing bubbles.

What a great son!

Newest Addition to "the Arm" clan

2010-05-20T22:08:00.003-06:00

Well, my man child has arrived. World, meet Logan Heikki Armstrong. Logan, meet world. Logan is a healthy 8lbs 8oz baby. Jess is recovering well. We hope to go home from the hospital tomorrow. We are hoping for a restful weekend, but we welcome visitors next week. Just let us know if you are planning on coming so Jess can clean the house. Just kidding. I'll continue doing the chores. We would really like to thank everyone for your love and support. Jess would specially like to thank everyone for your prayers and faith in her behalf.

The Baby Tally

2010-05-16T15:48:00.002-06:00

As many of you know, Jess is pregnant. In fact, she is very pregnant, 9 months and 4 days to be exact. Yes, this came as a shock to me too. I thought the baby would have been born by now. I lost my own competition of guessing when the baby would come. And what makes that more sad, is that I was the only one playing, so losing was particularly difficult.

So, to redeem that loss, I made up a different game to be played at church or at work. It goes like this: tally how many times someone mentions to you something about the baby not being here yet. I thought of this games because recently we have been getting a lot of texts and phone calls asking if the baby is here yet. We are happy to tell you "No." And, we do promise to spread the word once he is born.

Jess and I played "Baby Tally" at church today. Jess guessed the tally would be 25 times. My guess was greater than 25. Yes, I played the "Price is Right" one dollar card. The total tally came to 30. Yes, 30.

Jess was not particularly looking forward to church today, because she wasn't "supposed" to even be there. So our baby tally game helped ease the "You're still pregnant" glances.

Jess is doing really well. We are both happy and excited for the little guy to come. We love how much support we have been getting from family, friends and neighbors. So thank you, and keep the tally coming. We really do think it will be this week, so next weeks blog should have pictures. Stay tuned...

As a side note, we have pretty well decided on a first name, but keep going back on a middle name. We are open to suggestions, or if you are really desperate to have someone named after you, we are accepting donations for goods or services.

The Garbage Man Cometh

2010-03-21T22:36:00.002-06:00

Last Wednesday, I arrived home from work at the usual time. I checked the mail and retrieved the newspaper. I also noticed two brown garbage cans in front of the driveway. "How odd," I thought. "Garbage day is on Friday, and our normal cans are black." I investigated the situation. On top of these new brown cans, there was a note from the city informing us that a new waste disposal company would now be providing garbage service to residents, and these were to be our new cans. This is a very good thing, because our old cans were getting quite smelly.

I opened the cans and was quite impressed by just how clean they were. So impressed that...

I had to get in. I don't think I have ever been in a garbage can, and I couldn't miss out on this opportunity. Jess got home shortly after and noticed me climbing in. "What a funny man I am married too," smirked my confused wife. We decided to make a movie, albeit a short one. We did two takes for your enjoyment. This could be the beginnings of a low budget movie on the Chiller network.

The Garbage Man Cometh: Take 1

The Garbage Man Cometh: Take 2

As a side note, do any of you wonder if your neighbors ever notice what you are doing? Well, to answer that, I was told by a mom today that her kids were watching me pop out of the garbage can from their window. They enjoyed it so much that they soon began playing in their new garbage can. I'm quite the neighbor.

My Big Announcement

2010-03-14T20:58:00.000-06:00

I am guessing you began reading this blog hoping to read news of our new son. Well, Jessica's due date is still two months away. This post is to announce a new blog that I have created. Don't worry. It is not replacing "Nate the Blog." For blogs about our family and life, please continue coming here, your best source for our zany adventures.

This new blog is a side project I have started working on. It is a project that I have been thinking about for quite some time. I figure I better announce this project now, because come two months from now, most of you won't be interested in what is going on with me. You will be much more interested in Jessica and little junior Nate. Quite frankly, so will I. But if I don't get started now, who knows when that day will come. Plus, how can I be an Armstrong brother if I am not working on some sort of project?

This new project is a book I am planning on writing. I am going to post at least once a month an entry that will morph into a chapter in a book. I have already at length described this project on my introductory post. I am just spreading the news that there is a new link on this site to my side project listed as "Engineer's Guidebook to Life."

Please, if you enjoy it, spread the word to other friends and family. I will be putting myself under praise or scrutiny, but I am working towards a longtime goal of writing a book, so both forms of feedback will be beneficial.

Chair Shopping in Sweden

2010-02-04T19:51:00.006-07:00

Last summer, Jess and I went chair shopping. After we moved into our new abode, we decided the upstairs was the proper place for what I like to call "movie central." We had just come from an apartment and did not have much furniture. While we loved to watch movies on the weekend and play the occasional game of Lode Runner on the old Nintendo, it was difficult to enjoy this together because all we had to sit on was the floor or a banana chair left by the previous occupants. We switched off, but mostly I was on the floor and that got quite uncomfortable after about 20 minutes. I had just started a new job and did not have much money to spare. We decided if we got another comfortable chair, we could at least make do until we could afford a couch. I don't want to leave you with the impression that we had no other furniture, just not any to give up for "movie central."

And thus, our quest began. We thought maybe we could get a giant bean bag type chair. After stopping at one store we quickly realized this was not the cost effective solution we were hoping for. So next, we went to the place any price conscious furniture shopper would go: Sweden by way of IKEA.

Sweden is not like America. In fact, it is different. They also make furniture quite differently. It is shaped and colored in ways I would not have thought possible. But then again, I am no furniture designer. We did find a chair we liked, but not at first...

Is this even a chair?

Not the comfort I was hoping for.

Is that a back rest?

Or a hand rest?

The hole would definitely keep snacks from building up.

But there is no place for the other leg.

This chair looks promising.

Two holes for two legs.

Ahhh...the captain's chair?

Onward and upward.

Looks like a play chair.

Just no playing hide and seek behind this chair.

Here is the chair we finally settled on.

Just the larger version.

After our quest we were famished and luckily there were Swedish meatballs cooking upstairs. Those were pretty straight forward.

Count the Camaro...among my favorite cars

2010-01-24T21:48:00.006-07:00

Six months ago, I wrote a blog about the Cache Valley Cruise-In and the many Camaro's that could be seen dragging main street. If you didn't notice my subtle sarcastic humor, I wasn't exactly complementary of the Camaro, nor did I intend to be. I never really thought that Chevy non-Corvette sports cars were that cool, and if you drove one, you probably wore tank tops and Levi cutoffs. I know this is a harsh generalization, and I apologize to all who have stuck with the Camaro through the years.

Admittedly, I have hopped on the Camaro bandwagon, especially after having seen the new redesign up close and even sat in one at the recent Salt Lake City Auto Show. I was so impressed that I have even come to the self realization that of the newly designed sports cars of yesteryear, the Camaro would be my top choice for purchase. Jess agrees they are nice cars, but has stuck with her love of the Ford Mustang. That means that eventually, we will just have to have two sports cars, instead of one.

Now, this does not mean that the next time we drive up to your house, that Jess will be in a Mustang, and I will be in a Camaro. In fact, if it were up to me, we would both pull up in a Ford Fusion Hydbrid, having driven 700 miles on a single tank of gas. But, the auto show has made me much more sympathetic to the Camaro, and I will no longer subject the Camaro to my sarcastic wit.

Jess standing by her all back Camaro at the Auto Show.

I continue to love red cars.

The Case of the Suspicious Spectacles

2010-01-10T18:19:00.008-07:00

On January 8 at approximately 10:15 pm, I came up with the title to this blog. The events I am about to describe are real, or at least made up to sound real.

The holidays brought lots of visitors to our normally quiet abode. The season began by an expected visit in early December by the owner of the home we currently occupy. He came, he ate, and he left.

We had a day after Christmas party that was attended by most of the Jessica's family (aka "the in-laws"). They came, some of them ate, and some of them left.

New Years Eve brought another gathering to our home. This time, my friends from yesteryear came over to catch up on life and celebrate the decade now past.

After life settled back to normal and visitors stopped making the trek to Western Utah Valley, we decided to finally clean the house. As we did so, we noticed a pair of glasses that belong to neither myself nor to Jessica. This enigmatic eyeware was spotted between the arm and cushion of a little used armchair in the corner of the family room.

"How unusual?" I thought.

I quickly acted to crack the case. I texted all of my friends who were at the party. I sent an email to our December guest. And Jess texted her mother who invariably got the word around to "the in-laws." So far, no one has claimed these furtive frames.

Here is the evidence: A pair of glasses.

So, now I turn to you, my faithful readers to help me decipher how these glasses ended up tucked away in a green armchair.

Below is a picture of the specs spoken of. The lego man is not evidence in the case. He serves to hopefully bedeck an otherwise boring picture and provide scale lest any of you think that these glasses are either too large or too small to be owned by a human of usual size (an h.o.u.s.).

My determination to solve this case is wavering. I fear life-altering consequences such as prolonged blurry vision unless the glasses are returned to their rightful owner. If any of you can supply additional information, please email, text, or comment. There is no reward.

Count the Camaro's

2009-07-11T13:18:00.008-06:00

Do you just love Chevrolet Camaros? And I mean really love them? Even before the 2009 Camaro turned out to be a transformer named Bumblebee who is an awesome fighter and has a good sense of humor? Really? If you can answer yes to all four of these questions, then the Cache Valley Cruise-In is the place for you. On the Fourth of July every year, Cache Valley closes down main street, so people can cruise in their restored (and sometimes not restored) hot rods. It is quite an entertaining event. Living in Cache Valley for most of my life, I took this event for granted, and only watched the parade of cars a handful of times. Jess had never seen it, and since we were in town for the Fourth, she didn't want to miss an opportunity to see what this event was all about.

The Camaro was by far the most popular car this year. It seemed that every other car was a Camaro, so I invented a game called Count the Camaros. I think I won. I am really good at counting (and I was the only one playing). What follows is a small sampling of the whole.

1...

2...

3...

4...5... (2 for 1)

6...

7...

8...

9...

10...

11...

Eleven Camaros was enough to win the game this year. If you have never seen the cruise-in, maybe that should be integrated into next year's summer plan. I'd be happy to take on any challengers who would think to beat me at Count the Camaros.

A radish as big as my hand

2009-07-02T20:53:00.006-06:00

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You might think that I am low on material when I blog about a radish, but you haven't seen this radish. Our garden is kicking out giant radishes, without the use of growth hormones, or even plant food. The soil here is a hard clay, and while many plants are struggling for survival, the radishes are really loving it. We tried to keep up with our radish harvest, but somehow, this one escaped our view, and grew out of control. We actually thought it was a carrot, but it was in the wrong row. And the carrots are still quite small. Compared to other "normal" radishes, this radish is a giant. I've actually grown quite fond of him too, and would think it a shame to eat him. Jess thinks it stems from detachment issues from my childhood, but I wouldn't know anything about that. She is the psychology major.

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Okay, I know it is a stretch to consider this entry among blogger's elite, but stay tuned when I next blog about our giant potatoes.

Escalante Pictures, as Promised

2009-06-28T17:35:00.009-06:00

I don't know why it took me so long to post my photos from Escalante, but here they are. Enjoy!

The surprisingly wet entrance to Peek-a-boo.

Jess and John braving the mud, Nate wasn't so sure.

The brave adventurer.

Nate, Nate, and John exiting Peek-a-boo, about to begin our trek to the next slot canyon.

Nate and Nate squeezing through Spooky. Jessica's salads are paying off.

Hair of gold. Doesn't it look like the heavens are smiling on us?

The Nates and the sand dune.

Jess striking a pose in Brimstone.

Looking out of Brimstone.

Jess and Nate in the desert with Coyote Gulch in the distance.

The wind doing wonders with our hair above Steven's Arch.

John, Nate A, and Nate B entering Coyote Gulch through a precarious crack.

Jess fitting in quite well with her surroundings.

Sitting above one of the many pretty waterfalls.

Question: What is the difference between a natural bridge and an arch?

Stay tuned for the answer*.

Mr. Cool getting a kiss under the natural bridge. Who needs mistletoe?

Water carving through sandstone below trees and ferns in the cliff.

Jess reading the map by Jacob Hamblin arch and hoping that we have reached the end.

Jess and Nate at Lower Calf Creek Falls, where a certain wedding ring was lost...

...and found. Whew! Thanks to Jess for finding my ring.

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Escalante is beautiful country. I hope everyone enjoyed the sampling of pictures I posted on the blog. If you have yet to visit this part of Utah, I highly recommend it goes on your list of places to see before you die.

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*The difference between a natural bridge and an arch is water. Water runs underneath a natural bridge, but not underneath an arch. Oh how my blog is both entertaining and educational.

One garden to rule them all...

2009-06-25T21:00:00.004-06:00

I have had several requests to blog about the garden. Okay, actually, just one. But, it was from my most adoring fan, Brian. So, here goes. We have a garden. It is in the midst of weeds that have exploded in the last few weeks because of the unusually wet summer we have been having. It has been great for our garden, but we are fighting back the weeds.

If any of you are wondering about what plants work best in what soil type, don't ask me, unless your soil is an undeveloped light brown clayish soil. That's as technical as I'll get. But radishes and potatoes do amazing in this type of soil. We have already picked a slew of radishes, and our potatoes have exploded. After a scary start, the tomatoes are also doing well. Most everything else is growing pretty good, but some look like they are barely hanging on, like the cantaloupe. Which wouldn't be the worst thing, because then if it dies, I won't have to figure out how to spell it in the next blog about our fruits o'plenty.

If the vegetables were in a race, I'd say the radishes have it, followed by the potatoes, and in a close third the tomatoes. The peppers, beats, zucchini, squash, onions, pumpkin are in the middle running, with the carrots, cucumbers, strawberries and watermelon taking up the rear. It seems the cantaloupe have dropped out of the running. Go banana!

The wind continually beats on our garden. I protected the tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries with cages and plastic. They started out pretty sad looking, but have since more than recovered. Our tomato plants are bursting through the plastic, and I'd say it is almost time to take it off. We had another storm tonight, so Jess thought we should wait. Maybe this weekend, they will feel free again.

So, without boring my faithful blog readers with more garden stories, I'd just like to say that we are excited about eating potato-radish stew this year. Come on over if you want to give it a try.

Escalante, land of the slot canyons

2009-06-16T21:25:00.007-06:00

For those of you who have never been to Escalante, you are missing out on some of Utah's hidden treasures. And I mean really hidden. Driving through Escalante, it would appear to be desert. And it is. But is is what lies between the desert that makes this land unique. Water cuts through sand and creates beautiful canyons, that a person would miss simply by looking out across the desert. Some canyons down there, you can't even see until you within a few hundred feet.

Two weeks ago, Jess and I, and my friends John and Nate went camping down in Escalante. We hiked Peek-a-boo, Spooky, and Brimstone Canyons. Then we hiked 4 miles along Coyote Gulch. Then we ended our trip with a trip to Lower Calf Creek falls. The idea was to cool off, but it really wasn't that hot out. It was actually very mild for this time of year, and overcast most of the trip. No chance of rain though, so luckily we were safe in the canyons.

I had hiked Peek-a-boo, Spooky, and Brimstone a couple times before. There aren't terribly difficult, but they are very narrow canyons. Very typical of slot canyons. They all run almost parallel each other a couple miles apart. The bottom of Peek-a-boo had lots of water. We had to trudge through a lot of mud, and get around some tricky obstacles, but everyone was up to the task. Spooky was all dry and not too difficult, but it does get pretty narrow. Brimstone is the narrowest and darkest of the three. We only made it in maybe 50 feet before there was a ton of water. I waded through a ways, then convinced my friend John to come. The water was cold, dirty, and very slimy. But to me, it's no different than playing in the sandbox when I was a kid. This canyon narrows quite a bit and the water gets deeper. I have squeezed through before, but because the water level was so high, John and I decided to turn back after only another 50 to 100 feet. Still, I rather enjoyed the adventure.

Coyote Gulch is this oasis at the bottom of a canyon in the middle of the desert. Above the canyon, it is sand, sandstone, and more sand. There is plenty of cactus and sage brush to go around. Down below though, there are ferns, trees, grass, bushes, animals, springs, and waterfalls. It is very lush and beautiful. I had never been there before, and I can't wait to go back. There are also arches all around. We hiked most of the way through the stream, so we were all happy that we had our sandles. We swam in a couple pools and waded through waterfalls. It is an amazing canyon that extends very deep and very long. You could easily spend more than a day in Coyote Gulch.

Calf Creek falls is a 120 foot waterfall. The water is cold and after about 3 pm, it is shaded. John and I, after much convincing swam through the pool up to the falls. It was a rather cold experience. I was nervous about losing my wedding ring, which isn't usual when I swim, but I took it off and gave it to Jess to hold. After the swim, my brain was frozen and I had forgotten to get the ring back. We all started hiking back, and after about 1/2 mile, Jess froze and said, "Nate, do you have your ring?" I thought she might be joking, so I said no. Then she got really panicked. She had lost the ring. We hiked back to the falls looking down the whole time. She had put the ring on her little pinkie, and it had slipped off without her noticing. Jess was so worried. I didn't think it was the worst thing in the world and tried to calm her down in the event we couldn't find it, but she was determined to find it. We got back to the falls and went back to where we sat and had lunch. After searching around some, Jess found it in some weeds, near where she had reached down for her pack, and where the ring must have slipped off. The falls were beautiful, but losing the ring is a bit more memorable to me.

That was my last vacation before entering the world of the working man.

(I will upload photos shortly.)

New Job

2009-06-14T19:24:00.001-06:00

Well, after years of college, I finally have a full time job. I started last Monday, and Friday ended my first full week on the job. I start back up again tomorrow. I mostly enjoy my work, but to be honest, I don't fully understand what my job is yet. I think it will take some time to learn exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. So far, it has been a lot of training and a trial by fire. This next week will likely be more difficult, followed by another week of training. Then I'm hoping after that I'll settle in a bit more.

I've had a month of vacation from the time I graduated and the time I started work. The free time was really nice. I miss it. After my first week on the job, I told Jess I was going to quit, so we could just hang out all day. Jess told me I was just going through growing pains. It's not like I dislike my work. I rather enjoy being an engineer and doing the work. It's just that I like Jess and playing a whole lot more. My goal is to retire in 10 years, once my new book gets on the New York Time's best sellers list. If that doesn't happen, then maybe I'll retire in 15 years.

I guess I already ruined the official announcement in that last paragraph, but yes, I am writing a book. I am keeping it pretty low key, but a few of you may get the honor to read through it and help me make changes. I actually don't suspect it to ever get published, but one of my life goals was to write a book. So, that is what I started to do. Once it gets more developed, I may start to clue everyone in as to the subject of the book. Let me just say, nerds like me will really appreciate it.

Well, work is my latest news. Just before work started, I did go on a trip to Escalante, UT and hiked some slot canyons with Jess and a couple friends. I'll blog about that shortly, and post some beautiful pics.

Risk, the Armstrong way

2009-06-14T18:17:00.002-06:00

Risk is the game of world domination. World Domination! So of course, who wouldn't want to play this game. A couple weeks ago, before my nephew Cam moved to Prague, I took it upon myself to teach him how to play Risk. It soon became apparent that he indeed was his father's son. Cam, son of Brian, world dominator.

Brian and I have been playing Risk for quite some time. Whenever we start a game, it usually means that we have convinced someone else to play with us. This person, or persons, is basically a target. Neither Brian nor I really care too much about winning, but we do care about making alliances to beat the other player, and then stabbing each other in the back. The goal is simple: ruin the other player's plan by breaking the front line and conquering as many territories as deep into enemy territory as you can. This effectively undoes many turns of patient battling. It is a delicate science to know exactly when to make your move. More often than not, breaking alliances is usually what causes the innocent third party to end up winning.

I tend to make my move when I have built up sufficient armies in a single territory to break through. Brian will make his move almost without fail when either he senses he is about to lose, or he gets tired of playing and then starts attacking for a final turn of frustrating all my plans. Cam is just like Brian. It was nearing bedtime, and he had agreed with his mother upon one more turn. In his last turn, he did what Brian would do, attack anywhere and everywhere he could. And, being the good uncle, I convinced him to attack his aunt Jessica, rather than try to defeat my superior armies. I have a picture and a video to illustrate how our evening ended.

We do miss Brian, Q, Cam, Jess, and Rebecca.

Conquering the Universe

2009-05-18T12:06:00.002-06:00

I am entering a new world. The blogging world. I have been encouraged many times to start a blog, but never really got around to it. Up until now, I think I have had a legitimate excuse with trying to finish my degree. But since I have graduated, and have a few weeks before I start my job, I have no excuse, and thus, I will embark on a blog.

This last week, I have accomplished a lot. I have conquered the universe three or four times over, I have ensured the republic's survival, and now I am on the verge of defeating Apocalypse to prevent a world enslaved by his cruel hand. It is true, since I graduated, I have played a few video games. I think I have undone quite a bit of the education I received in the last few years, but hopefully, not so much that I will be a vegetable at work.

Speaking of vegetables, we have just planted a garden. A big garden. My wife Jess and I are moving to Eagle Mountain, UT courtesy my brother Brian. Jess saw all the space in our new yard and decided she wanted one garden, one garden to rule them all. So, we have corn, potatoes, peas, beans (two varieties), cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, beets, onions, radishes, peppers, parsley, cilantro, watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries. Yes, if you would like some produce this fall, please contact us. I don't think we will be short on anything. This is our first garden, and the first time the soil has been worked, so we aren't sure how it will turn out, but we are hopeful. I worked in quite a bit of compost and turkey manure, so hopefully the plants are well nourished.

I am not sure what else to include in this first blog. In fact, I guess I don't really know what to blog about in general. So perhaps, I've yet to find my niche in the blogger world. I'll keep trying, and perhaps something will come up. Enjoy.

Nate the blog

What I want to be when I grow up

Logan's Day with Dad

Memorable Memorial trip to California

Philips Baby Viewing Machine

Logan in the Park

Dog Wrestling

Siberian Escape Artist

Conquering Everest

Craving for Subway

Stretchy Pants

On...Onward to Atlanta!

Pittsburgh: America's Most Livable City

The Windy City! No, not Eagle Mountain...

Laboring at Capitol Reef

Kennecott Refinery One Minute Challenge

Blessing Day

The Golden Mohawk

Newest Addition to "the Arm" clan

The Baby Tally

The Garbage Man Cometh

My Big Announcement

Chair Shopping in Sweden

Count the Camaro...among my favorite cars

The Case of the Suspicious Spectacles

Recently updated blog

Count the Camaro's

A radish as big as my hand

Escalante Pictures, as Promised

One garden to rule them all...

Escalante, land of the slot canyons

New Job

Risk, the Armstrong way

Conquering the Universe