What we did on Halloween

...Had lunch at Paradise Breakfast

...Finally got the chance to exchange some birthday gift cards from some kind folks in Idaho! Sara picked up 3 CDs from Barnes and Noble, I got some clothing from REI

...I picked up John Wooden's book on mentoring as well

...Hit Walmart for candy to hand out

...Came home to be greeted by a pirate and Silar (from the TV show "Heroes")

...Lauren fulfilled Aaron's wish of the last few years and turned him into the Incredible Hulk

...Aaron got into character

Lauren and Zach went to a party with church friends, while I took Aaron out for about an hour to get some candy. After about 6 houses he was ready to go home, but I pushed him to continue on. Good thing...one of neighbors was giving kids Cheetos....one of Aaron's favorite foods!

A Classic Email

Head over to http://lifebeginsatthecross.wordpress.com to see a recent blog posting about an email I received from a guy who used to be in one of my men's Bible study groups. It's his reaction to our impending move to Idaho...

Making it official

We're moving to Idaho: land of huckleberries, potatoes, tall trees and moose.

Back from Idaho

And I didn't take one photo...but I did receive a plunger...

Learn something new everyday...

After a long hike with Nik today, I put him in the back yard with some food and water. He finshed his dog food and then went over to a berry bush on the side of our house and did something I've never seen him do before:



I guess he wanted dessert...

Recent Hiking Trip

With fall upon us (which only lasts a few weeks in the mountains of Utah), we decided we better get out and visit the Uinta mountains before the roads are closed because of snow. We decided to hike along Provo Falls, then take a short hike to a couple of lakes. Here's what it looked like:

Teapot Lake
Lily Lake

Provo River

Series of falls

Aaron the hiker

New Blog

Four years ago I launched this blog. The intent was a place to journal my thoughts here and there about Christianity, faith, leadership, church and more. But after our move to Utah, it seemed to become more of a family blog where we could keep friends and family updated on our lives. The more I posted pictures of trips and wrote about our latest experiences, the more it seemed odd to plug in the occasional theological reflection. So today I am launching a new blog called Life Begins at the Cross, which will be the place for me to post my thoughts, reflections and ramblings.

And Sled Dog will continue to serve as our family blog, so no worries. You'll still be able to keep up with our latest adventures...of which there will be many soon, I am sure. Hopefully, Sara will become more of a contributor to Sled Dog.

Here's the URL for Life Begins at the Cross: http://lifebeginsatthecross.wordpress.com/

Better Late than Never

This post is a couple weeks late. Two weeks ago Zach and Lauren were baptized with their church, Mountain View Fellowship. Zach became a Christian a few years ago, but had never been baptized. Lauren was baptized when she was 7, but wanted to join Zach as a show of their new oneness in marriage. Zach is one of a very small number of Christians at BYU, and a few people from his school came to watch the baptism. Pastor Shane, after baptizing Lauren, noted that this would probably be the only time he ever baptized someone in a BYU t-shirt!

A short video of the event can be viewed at http://www.mvfchurch.com/index.php?option=com_exposeprive&album=20&photo=2&playslideshow=yes Just click on the video clip on the right to watch. Zach and Lauren are the first people to share on the video clip.

As far as photos, I snapped a few:

Aaron, baptized just a few weeks before, gives Zach a congratulatory hug

Sis gets a squeeze as well

Newly married and freshly baptized

Pastor Shane and Aaron

Coincidence...or Providence?

New son-in-law Zach is a biology major. One of his projects this semester is to collect a whole bunch of insects for a major project...we're talking hundreds of bugs. Last night when I pulled into the driveway after my men's group, Zach and Lauren were out on the front porch collecting a variety of moths, spiders and beetles attracted by the porch light.

This morning I looked out the back window and I noticed Nik acting a bit freaked out by something in the grass. He keeps biting it and then jumping away from it. So I went out to see what was annoyig him. Lo and behold, it's a praying mantis! Sara brought out a container and I scooped it up and put it in the garage.

I just found it quite interesting that at the same time Zach has the burden of finding a multitude of insects for his project, my dog finds him a prime specimen!

Coincidence or providence?!?

Why is this dog wet?

Because at 3 AM he got sprayed by a skunk! Two baths today...one with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. That took a lot of the smell away, but it will take a week or two for Nik to lose his fragrance.

One thing I learned in the wee hours of the morning: Skunk odor at "ground zero" smells a lot like burning rubber. When I woke up to the odor, my first thought was that something electrical was burning. My first course of action was to find the appliance that was on the fritz. But I finally figured out that it was the pooch.

Aaron in Idaho

We were there too, but Aaron got in almost all the pictures. I forgot my camera, so all these photos came from my cell phone, hence the low quality. But at least it offers an idea of our Northwest adventure...

Wooden boat show in Coeur d'Alene
Moose statue

Aaron and one of many Paul Bunyans

Downtown Coeur d'Alene

Aaron saw a guy laying on the ledge in Spokane airport, so he thought he would do the same

I took this photo for the lizard

Aaron's hero...a burger eating Paul Bunyan

Airport

A Few Wedding Pics

Some of you have asked for wedding pictures. Well, I have a whole bunch of them, but the person who took the photos asked I not release them for public consumption until the bride and groom get back from honeymoon-land...which is Saturday. But, lucky for you, Pam emailed a few shots so you can get an idea of how the whole affair looked.

Sunset over the Wasatch Mountains
Dad and daughter dance

Cider toast

Cutting the cake ...note Aaron in the background in his wedding clothes

Post from Sara, photo from Pam! (Glad pam had her camera)

Zach and Lauren the day after the wedding, off for their honeymoon! This picture was taken in front of their home in Provo.

The Last Photo of the Wedding

1:06 AM...living room floor...a boy, his dog and a bunch of wedding gifts

It's Wedding Day!

Running errands this morning...Aaron and I picked up a bunch of food from Costco, then stopped for our pre-wedding meal: Chick-fil-A


After lunch I went to the church for some food prep. My main task was getting things ready for the chocolate fountain. Dipping items include pound cake, strawberries, cherries, pineapple, graham crackers and marshmallows (hopefully some folks will make s'mores). In about an hour we will hit the showers, get dressed and head up to the church!

Baptism Day

The day finally arrived, and it couldn't have come sooner for Aaron. He's been thinking about it for weeks. After church a bunch of people ventured over to the Jordanelle Resevoir, about 15 minutes from the church building for a time of lunch, singing, sharing and, finally, the big event.

Here are some photos of all the day's happenings:

Youth Pastor Brian and I talk about some of the logistics of the baptisms. Aaron asked Brian to baptize him since he was a teenager (four other teens were baptized as well).

Lauren and Zach with Elijah

Each of the baptism participants shared why they were excited about being baptized and what it meant to them. Aaron shared something to the effect of "I love Jesus. Jesus is awesome and he helps me."

In the water with Pastor Brian and Pastor Scott

In he goes...

Baptism this Sunday

Aaron is one of the participants this Sunday afternoon at the Jordanelle Reservoir. He is exicited that three other boys are also being baptized. Should be a great day!