Kenworthy Connection

Time for a new Post?

2009-11-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

Hey all you readers out there. I suppose by now you have written (pun intended) us off. We have been particularly crappy writers lately. I sometimes feel like there is nothing to say and yet a lot of things happen every day!

I love this time of year when the weather feels chilly and the leaves are yellow and orange. I think October, November, and December are my favorite months. In between the bouts of morning sickness, it is fun to dream of our coming little one and wonder what color of hair he/she will have. Will he/she look like Ty or me? This is definately a time of great excitement.

Ty and I had a great opportunity to go to my nephew's baptism last week. He was baptized on Halloween (nothing scary about that). He was so happy to be baptized. After his baptism, he came back in wearing his cub scout shirt - something which surprised all of us. He is so proud to be a new cub scout! Grandpa Hunt baptized him and I felt the spirit as we had a family testimony meeting. What a special experience to share with Sammy the truthfulness of the gospel. I am sure proud of that kid! Attending a baptism always helps me to remember my own testimony and how important it is to share these things with others. Thank you Sammy for giving us the opportunity to remember this.

Yes We Can - But Should We?

2009-09-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

I know that we haven't been verbose on our blog lately :) With the new fangled invention of Facebook or FB, I usually keep in contact with people that way. However, I need to get out some of my aggression about the state of our country. Please bear with me, or for those who don't read our blog anymore...perfect.

Most of my knowledge of current affairs comes from glancing at the cover of the Wall Street Journal. Don't tell my dad, but it actually isn't quite as liberal as I was lead to believe. They seem to think it important to be fair minded. However, one usually has to dig through to find the one or two conservative articles, while an article on Amish romance novels (G rated of course) covered the front page - go figure. I'm glad they have their priorities straight.

Also on the front page is a picture of students watching a small TV where Obama waves his arms and preaches for kids to not let failures define them. "These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you - you have to let them teach you". Though there wasn't any propaganda about pledging allegiance to Obama, he did warn children of the danger of germs. "And along those lines, I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter." No joke, look it up. I couldn't help but feel that his speech to the children was as watered down as his hands were clean. (That's a different topic though.)

Obama has inspired a whole new set of jokes such as "Obama is wondering what comes after a trillion." Whether he is shaking Chavez's hand or borrowing billions of dollars from China, Obama does it all with a carefree ease as if spending someone else's money. (Oh yeah, he is.) He won't stop there oh no! He must have health care for all of America. He doesn't mind the cost (why should he, it isn't his money). If the bill passes, he will no doubt go state to state preaching of the need for everyone to wash his/her hands. We don't want to get that horrible, not so bad, Swine Flu after all. The real need in America is to wash our hands of him and his health care bill.

Obama's failures have been many and short between. From offending those involved with the Special Olympics to ignoring international dangers, I am no longer amazed that he continues as he does despite poor approval rating. He said it to the kids. He won't let his failure define him. He will push on failing time and time again. I just wonder when he will learn from these failures.

I know that there are still many Obama fans out there. They stick to him like the germs on a school child's hand. However, the WSJ reports that his disapproval rating is at 49%. I am sure it is higher than that because I wasn't included in that poll. It seems as if Obama is a wash out after all. My hope for America is this: That we concern ourselves more about what is going on in Washington than we do about the Swine Flu. Yes we can spend billions and trillions of dollars to "help" America. Yes we can raise taxes to re-coop that cost. Yes, we can be buddy buddies with terrorist nations. Yes we can have a government health care that won't work. Yes We Can - But Should We?

Ty's Graduation Day

2009-08-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Graduation Day Ty!

4th of July fun

2009-07-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

I walked into mom and dad's house and was greeted by the newest member of the family: a small, orange striped kitten named Teacup. Cinnamon rolls sat on the counter and mom and dad and Jenay were there to greet us. I was home for the 4th of July.

That kitten got so much attention that weekend. We played with it and even dressed it up in doll clothes. It was silly, but Jenay, Kendra, and I had a great time doing it. The kitten didn't seem to mind and even posed for us in his/her flowery doll dress. We are still unsure whether it is a girl or a boy.

Mom got the kitten when a kind farmer helped her out of a ditch. She couldn't refuse the kitten after his service to her. We teased mom that the farmer saw her coming. Teacup was a cute little ball of fur that pranced around the house.

We missed my brother-in-law, Sam Hennis, as he was away serving his country in the Air National Guard. We are proud of him.

Just wanted to post a few pictures of the 4th when we went to Boise. It was a lot of fun. We went hiking, shooting, shot off fireworks, ate, and chatted. Pictures below show Ty playing with mom's kitten, Marcia with her awesome sunglasses, and skeet shooting .

Two Wonderful Years

2009-05-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Today is our second anniversary. As Ty and Steve say "Two years down...an eternity to go." It has been a great two years. Ty surprised me (or should I say fulfilled my hope?) by having red roses delivered to my work office. I felt so special!

I know this is all cheesy etc. and you can stop reading if you want, but I am so grateful for a kind and understanding husband. We aren't perfect and even we have our differences. However he is always kind to me and persuasive, so much so that he often persuades me to change my mind, something my family would say is impossible. He encourages me to develop my talents and even says he likes the silly stories that I write in my spare time. When I had my tonsils out in January, he took care of me and watched over me. We have so much fun together and he always makes me laugh. He truly is the love of my life and my best friend. I can honestly say to the earlier statement..."Bring it on!"

Mulder's First Bath

2009-05-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Aside from being too cute (according to Cami) and funny (according to me) this video is also another step in the video-making experimentation process. We hope you enjoy it.

PS: As before, make sure you pause any other music or video before watching this multi-media extravaganza.

Zion: Place of Peace

2009-05-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

We wanted to share with you our pictures of Zion... not the city of Enoch that was taken to God (they wouldn't let us take pictures while we were visiting there) but the National Park in Southern Utah. Amongst mosquito bites and sunburns we brought back some great pictures and video. So, here is a montage-- complete with music-- of some of the hikes and heights we conquered on this trip.
We did three hikes while there: The Watchman trail, Angel's Landing, and Weeping Rock. Angel's Landing was by far the most impressive and strenuous hike we have been on and that is why there are so many pictures of that hike versus the other two. In the montage, the pictures from Angel's Landing have been broken into the three main sections of the hike: Walter's Wiggles-- a series of tight switchbacks that ascend the backside of the cliff wall, The Chains-- an area where one has to climb the sandstone rocks with the aid of chains across a narrow rock fin (approx. 3-5 ft. wide at times) with a 1200 foot drop-off on one side and a 900 foot drop-off on the other, and finally, The Top-- kinda self-explanatory.
We hope you enjoy our video montage as much as we enjoyed making it.

Ty and Cami

PS: You might want to pause any other music while this is playing so that you can hear it. Enjoy!
PSS: Some of these videos and pictures are not for the faint-of-heart. Viewer discretion is advised!

Behold the Man

2009-04-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

It is a strange and weird thing to be an American male today. In the days of James Dean, Steve McQueen, and John Wayne the definition of "man" was easy to figure out. Men were tough, honorable, and sensitive packaged in prickly leatherworn exteriors. In terms of accessories, all a man needed was an ACE pocket comb, wallet, and keys to a very sweet ride!

I am afraid that the days of these men are fast fading.

Today's men have a massively large bill of lame expectations to live up to. Today, men are required to be sensitive on the outside as well as the inside. We are expected to trade in our prickly exteriors for a soft face and winning smile-- apparently that's desired so much that it is the defining criteria for public servants to win elections. cough Obama cough cough. Not to mention, honor seems to have been traded in for the time-honored tradition of cutting another's throat to get ahead-- you know, that trait that started with good ole' Cain. And toughness... I just saw band-aids at Walmart marketed as "the most manly way to cover those bumps and scratches!" Lame.

And accessories?! Most all of my generation-- including myself-- has been convinced that you have to carry a man bag in order to transport all of your quintessential man-gear (also called toys) with you. At first the man bag seemed harmless. All that was required was a backpack or messenger bag. NOW we see Brad Pitt (a traitor to the manly man cause) strutting around Paris (mistake 1) with a very purse-looking bag draped at his side (mistake 2). Worst of all, I believe that Angelina Jolie has more testosterone pumping in her veins than her counterpart... truth be told, I would be more afraid of her in a fight than Brad.

I guess this is truly a discussion of my greatest fear for American society. More than political, economic, or religious upheaval, the feminization of the masculine may be a root cause to what I consider to be the beginnings of massive social decay. In the recent conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, during the Priesthood session Boyd K. Packer the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles encouraged the men of the Church to treasure and protect their masculine nature. This seemed quite significant to me. Gender and gendered qualities are eternal-- that is not to say that men should reclaim their caveman-clubs and eat raw meat-- but that there is something about manliness that is necessary, not just preferable to girlimanishness. However, neither is James Dean's brand of rebellious manhood truly representative of eternal manliness. I believe that the best example of ideal manhood comes from Christ. In 2006, D. Todd Christofferson, then of the Presidency of the Seventy, said this of Christ "Most importantly, when we consider the admonition to be men, we must think of Jesus Christ. When Pilate brought Jesus forth wearing a crown of thorns, he declared, “Behold the man!” (see John 19:4–5). Pilate may not have fully understood the significance of his own words, but the Lord indeed stood before the people then as He stands today—the highest ideal of manhood. Behold the man!"

As our society withdraws from Christ, so also will true manliness. It is left to those of us who remain true and faithful to the Lord of Heaven and Earth to learn the attributes of manliness and practice them as exemplified by Jesus Christ.

I am not sure that there is any danger in the ultra accessorizing of men today; however, the question I would ask is: what's in your man bag? Is your bag filled with toys or is it filled with those things that can help you be a man in Christ? Eventually the things of this world will fade and decay, but the attributes and nature that we develop while in this life will be ours forever.

Disneyland - It's a Jolly Holiday

2009-03-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

I thought today would be a great day to write since Fridays are such slow days at work.

Recently we went to California so that Ty could present his work at UC Riverside. It happened to be near Anaheim so we had to extend our stay and go to Disneyland for a few days. My sister, Jenay flew in and drove with us. It was great to have Jenay with u s. We had a great time and I have the pictures to prove it!

One of the most amazing things that I learned is that during the nightly fireworks, Tinkerbell flies in on a zip line. I had seen this firework show 2 years ago and just took it for granted that she was a robot like many of the other robots at Disneyland. She looked so real! That amazed me even more. I happened to mention it to Ty and Jenay how real she looked and to my surprise they responded that she was! They could not convince me that she was a real person. Jenay even went up to Tinkerbell the next day and asked. Of course she said that it was her. I still didn't believe. Tinkerbell was required to say yes, I said, because she had to make everything seem real for the kids. To settle this issue once and for all we went to the "information booth". They have to tell the truth there right? Indeed the lady that we spoke to said that it was a real person up there on the castle. I finally believed, after all this was the information booth. Disneyland truly is a magical place where anything can happen :)

Ty did a great job presenting at this conference. We came back and he presented at another conference at Westminster College in Salt Lake. In each of these presentations, the professors encouraged him to write a book about the things he is studying. Since one has to be licensed to get into the mortuary prep rooms, he is the first in his field to study the embalming process as well as funeral directors. Because of this, we hope he can get into a great grad school. I am proud of Ty. He really does have a talent for Cultural Anthropology and presenting it to others. Good job Ty!

Too cute!

2009-02-26T19:54:00.001-08:00

OK. This video requires little explanation... suffice it to say, you will want a hedgehog after watching this.

Thanksgiving and Christmas

2009-01-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

OK I know that this is way past due, but I am just now getting caught up on blog.

After San Francisco, Ty and I boarded the Amtrak train and went to Longmont, CO (near Denver) to spend Thanksgiving with Ty's family. We really enjoyed our trip since we took a sleeper car. We enjoyed sleeping, watching dvds, and talking. We also were able to go to the dining car and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We met many people this way since we always had to sit across from another couple. The train was a different experience. It felt like a completely different world, one in which the people are different as well. We met one interesting man who was akin to a modern day hobo. He took the train all over the United States visiting friends. He was an interesting person.

We spent 3 days with Ty's family eating, and watching some great shows. It was fun to play with Zuzu and Creature (two pugs) at the park. It was very entertaining to see Creature go down the slide and then try to run back up it without any success. We took some videos of it and I was very upset when I erased all my pictures by accident. I guess we will just have to go back soon.

We also took a tour of the library that Steve works at and also the place that Karen used to work at and then went to see the new James Bond movie. It was actually a pretty good movie.

The following month we went to Nampa to spend Christmas with my family. The first night we were there, it snowed a lot. Dad also decided it would be a great time to burn some boards and things that needed to be burned. So we had a bonfire in the snow. This seems like something that Jeff Foxworthy could use "You might be a redneck if..." After our back ends were numb it wasn't so bad.

On Christmas Eve, we had a white elephant gift exchange. I think the best present was dad's snowman that when bumped started singing and then dropped a nice little piece of candy out its bottom. (shocking huh?) He also got a nice beanie and pirate beard. Just what he wanted actually.

Ty got a decorative gourd and a well dressed bottle of dish soap.

I got various second hand (ha ha) lotions and soaps.

Christmas was a wonderful day. Ty got a shotgun from my parents which we promptly used the next day. Angel, Marcia, and Sammy all got crocheted items from Ty's mom, Karen. They were beautiful, and the kids loved them.

The day after Christmas, we went out to try out Ty's new shotgun and my dad's new AR-15, his new pride and joy that he put together himself. It was very cold and snowy, but hey, that never stops the Hunts from doing anything. We laugh in the frozen toes of frostbite.

The Saturday after Christmas, we went to Pocatello to see my niece, Natalie be baptized. It was nice to be with them for that wonderful experience. Natalie had Ty and I convinced that they got a puppy for Christmas. She told us how well trained he was and that the neighbors were taking care of it while they were in Pocatello. We found out later that it is a big life sized stuffed dog that walks and barks, not a real dog. I just laughed and laughed about that.

The night before going home, we had a family party and Ty played his ukulele and we sang a bunch of songs. It was fun. My sweet little niece, Marcia, decided it would be nice to put on "makeup". She started stamping her face with a Santa stamp that grandma gave her. She decided also that everyone had to have a stamp or two. She had a great time stamping everyone including herself.

We had a great holiday season with family and friends. We feel blessed to have such great families.

Scully and Mulder: New Additions to the Family

2009-01-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

We would like to introduce two new members of our family: Scully and Mulder! They are hedgehogs... and rather cute and entertaining ones at that. Much like her namesake, Scully is currently pregnant (or so we were told) so she is a little shy and trying to burrow a nest. We are very excited to soon welcome 4 to 6 little baby hedgehogs in the next few months. So, here are some pictures. I am holding Mulder in the pictures and Scully is the one hiding in her house.

The Rest of San Francisco

2009-01-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

OK. So I realize that we got into the blogging fervor once we got back from San Francisco and posted two days worth of our trip right away, and then.... We lost the fervor. No, it was more than that. We lost fervor, time, inclination, attention span, and maybe even a little creativity. I mean, honestly, all the San Francisco posts were there for was just to put pictures up for the family to see. So, after two posted days, I burned out.

But what happens whenever you burn out on your blog? I'll tell you what happens: three people in the whole world ask you what happened! And they can be a little annoying about it, too. They say things like "I noticed you haven't posted since November 17th." or "So, when are you going to finish your blog on San Francisco?" and best yet "Oh, I thought you gave up on blogging." So, to answer all the inquiries as to the status of our blog, here is the rest of San Francisco in its most unadulterated form: just pictures. That's right! from here on out, you will just see a bunch of pictures which narrate for themselves the rest of our trip. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy yet another shameless picture post on our blog!

San Francisco: Day 2, First Day of Fun

2008-11-29T15:41:00.000-08:00

OK, I will put in my two cents about the morning, and then I will turn the reigns over to Cami. I went to a conference... that's about all I have to say. So, here's Cami.

While Ty was in his conference, I braved the city by myself to go to the Academy of Science. I clutched my purse tightly and tried to "blend in" so as not to be a target for pick pockets. Ty says I am too distrustful of others. I say I am careful. It turns out that the only people I was a target for is street beggars. They certainly were at work. There are all kinds of street performers and beggars in the area of our hotel. Some just plain can't sing. There was a man that would be playing the "drums" outside our hotel every night at the same time. He was actually kind of good seeing how he was using old buckets and pots and pans.

I am distracting myself from my trip details. After walking around for a few minutes, I finally found the bus stop. San Francisco is an interesting city: It smells of cigarette smoke and flowers: an odd opposition. It seemed to this pink lunged girl that everyone smokes there. There are also a lot of flower stands on the corner of almost every block. It smells divine until a smoker messes it up. I thought smoking was going out of style.

I got on the bus and showed my 7 day pass which the bus driver hardly looked at. Another odd thing about San Francisco is that almost all of the bus drivers never look to see if you pay or not. They don't care. In fact one bus driver took off before I even got in the door. I had to move fast to get in before it shut on me. We then had to overcome the motion of the bus to get to our seats. I say we because I made friends with an older lady who had a very difficult time getting to her seat with this driver. He honked his horn and drove like a taxi driver. A very interesting experience. This same bus trip I met an older lady that was visiting here from Ireland. She was very nice. This was on the way back from the Academy of Science so I am getting out of sequence here.

The Academy of Science was a cool place. They had three spheres inside the academy itself. One sphere was a rain forest sphere. This was so cool. It was warmer and misty in here with different green plants and butterflies flitting around. Each level had something different to see. The bottom was an aquarium with lots of fish. You could go to the basement and actually go under the aquarium. They also had a lot of exhibits that had different rain forest animals from different countries. I was fascinated by the Monkey Tree Frogs that actually use their front legs and swing through trees instead of hopping. They also had these really cool snakes that were the same brown color as branches and had a pointed head. They were very still and it was difficult to tell them apart from the branches they were wrapped around.
They also had a planetarium sphere. It was really cool. The ceiling was the screen and it was 75 feet tall. I actually felt like I was moving in outer space. I definitely felt after watching this that I was grateful that God was in charge and had a plan for our universe.

I made it back to our hotel and Ty and I went on our trip to Alcatraz. We did a special night tour that was less crowded and more spooky.

We took a boat out to the island. Alcatraz was discontinued as a prison in the 60's. It was used only for those that were considered "incorrigible" . People like the famous Al Capone etc. There were never any woman imprisoned on Alcatraz. I couldn't help but feel a chill as we walked through the prison cells and heard the stories on our audio tour. It was also dark outside and so it was even creepier as there wasn't much light outside. The park ranger also did a slammer demonstration where he opened and closed all the cells in that one block and it was very cool. See pictures below. The picture of the knives was in the kitchen. They outlined each knife so they knew if any were missing. Below that is a picture of Ty in front of the morgue.

Two jail birds.

San Francisco: Day 1, Wednesday

2008-11-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

We drove.

And Drove.

For 12 Hours, we drove.

We did see some interesting road signs, however. As we were driving through Nevada we saw a sign which read "Independance Valley: Prison Area." That was cool. We also passed through Beverly Hills... Nevada. Apparently they aren't too creative with their names. That, or they have a keen sense of irony considering Beverly Hills, NV is smack dab in the middle of a desert and has probably never been frequented by a movie star ever in its entire history (not even by a TV show extra).

After what seemed like forever, and a pair of aching backs, we arrived in San Francisco, CA. We proceeded to negotiate a few one ways streets on our way to our hotel, but eventually we made it to the Handelry Hotel right in downtown SF... just off of Union Square. Here are a few skyline picture that we took just for fun.

Under Construction

2008-11-24T08:44:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, Cami and I spent the past 5 days in San Francisco-- well, it was actually 3 days, two days were spent driving. We had two reasons for the trip: 1) so that I could attend the American Anthropological Association Annual Conference; and 2) to have fun. Both those aims were accomplished. I did, in fact, attend the conference (at least a couple of times) and we did have a lot of fun.

Here's the problem, we had so much fun that it will take several installments of posts to adequately cover the fun we had. So, this post is mostly meant to say: Hold yer horses, more is on the way. We promise to have pictures up, stories, and general commentary on the trip.

There is one comment I would like to make about San Francisco before we dive into the really fun stuff about the trip. Many people expressed concern for our safety and well being before we embarked on this trip, and many warned of the Anti-Mormon sentiment that apparently gripped the residents of San Francisco. Although we appreciate the concern, we discovered that there was little need to be worried.

I am sure that there are parts of the city, and places in the Bay area where one should be wary to tread-- LDS or otherwise. Like good little tourists, we never visited those areas and stayed to the main areas of interest (Pier 39, Chinatown, Alcatraz, and Union Square). We didn't make the pilgrimage to Haight/Ashbury, nor did we try to find the red-light district. In fact, from our vantage point, we were pleasantly surprised with the charm and beauty of this historical coastal city. The people we met-- visitors and locals-- were generally quite nice. Aside from a few angry beggars, we never felt uncomfortable or in danger from any of the throngs of people who littered the streets and cable cars of San Francisco. But the question still looms heavy: what about them?

The them which some have asked about refers to the large population of homosexuals in the Bay area who have recently made of the LDS people their enemies. The fact of the matter is that they were there. You had to look for them, they weren't typically auspicious, nor were they in great abundance in the areas we visited. But, I did have an encounter with a gay man, who was from New York state, attending the AAA conference. This story may be instructive.

We met at a mentoring workshop on the Saturday session of the conference. His name was Michael. He was an undergraduate student from Syracuse University in NY. I'm not sure what tipped me off to the fact that he was gay: it could have been the fact that he was holding hands with another man as they walked in front of me down the hallway to the meeting room, or it could have been the fig leaf pendant, GP ring, or the way he crossed his legs. I'm not sure what it was, but I was a little nervous about the pending introduction.

He flung his arm out towards me and cocked his head slightly to the right "Hi! I'm Michael."

I offered my hand in return "Howdy. I'm Ty."

"So, where are you from, Ty?"

Although I was wearing a name tag, my home college was not readily discerned since it only read "BYU." I responded, "I'm from Utah." The word Utah fell like a lead balloon into the meeting room. It felt as though the room was still ringing from a bullhorn announcement that I was a Mormon. Michael didn't respond. He nodded, and turned away looking desperately for another soul with whom he could interact... the only problem was that we were both very early, and no one else had yet arrived.

To say that the following silence was uncomfortable would be a gross understatement. He picked at his fingernails, and I shifted in my seat-- a couple times. I began to prepare to defend the Church and myself from the pending accusations that were building in the silence between us. Finally he spoke.

"What is your field of interest?"

"Cultural Anthropology" I gulped. "And yours?"

"I'm interested in physical anthropology and body politics." He went on to explain his broad interests in queer studies, body control, sexuality studies, and other similar interests. He was all but waving the rainbow flag in my face. I sat quietly listening, a look of interest on my face (and panic in my eyes). He asked me a question.

"Pardon me?" I said, realizing that I had not been listening to him so much as I was pretending to listen as I held back the dread feelings of insecurity, and plead desperately for guidance.

"Have you done any fieldwork, yet?" He repeated.

"Oh, yes. I have. I was in a mortuary prep room for three months." I continued to give my rehearsed little blurb on my research. The recitation was comforting.

He was either a better actor than myself or he was beginning to show a genuine interest in what I was saying. From that point on there was little silence, and we continued to engage in a dialogue about our academic pursuits, goals, and plans. It became clear that, although with some lingering hesitation, we might actually get along.

I never mentioned the church. I'm not sure I even mentioned what school I was from. Not that I was afraid or ashamed, I just didn't feel that I needed to... my being from Utah said all of that for me, apparently. I did not, however, act in anyway that would suggest anything but that I was a Christian. Michael and I continued to have a good interaction throughout the workshop, and I felt a strong impression that some of his preconceived notions about Mormons changed.

I guess I relate this story because I feel that as members of the LDS church, we have been blessed with a knowledge of the Fullness of the Gospel, and how we use that knowledge will greatly influence the way we make a difference in this world. We can use it to change our fallen nature that we might become more Christlike, thus letting the light of Christ fill our whole selves being able to be felt by those we meet. Or we can carry it like a sword: detached from our hearts and wielded as a weapon of condemnation. I believe that we must let our lights so shine. If we are filled with the love of God towards all men, we can and will be beacons of Christianity to the world, even in the face of persecution, enmity, distrust, and sin.

Sorry to get preachy, but I felt it necessary to answer to the fear-mongering press that attempts to make us Mormons afraid to leave the confines of our homes because we stood behind a noble and important issue. Let us go forward with faith, relying on the word of the Spirit rather than the faithless reports of persecution and massive sinfulness.

This is all that I will say on this issue, from here on out we will only post the fun stuff (and pictures, too!)

Dedicated to My Loving Wife!

2008-11-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

It is 10 minutes to 12 o'clock midnight and I can't sleep. I have a lot of thoughts running through my head, and I felt that in order to get any sort of rest, I need to get them out.

The thoughts running through my head are about the past 18 months. A year and a half ago to this day (the 12th) Cami and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Boise, ID temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I still have fond memories and feelings about that occasion, as well as the time that we have spent together since. As I attempted to end my day in slumber I couldn't help but lay there and remember many of the experiences that we have shared as a couple-- especially since we had spent the evening recollecting stories of days past. Upon pondering these experiences, and the feelings associated with them, I feel a need to write some thoughts, primarily for Cami's sake. (Since there are a few of you who actually read my posts from time to time, I appologize for this post in advance if it may seem a bit personal and not quite as exciting as posts past.)

A little over two years ago I went to the temple prior to beginning a new semester at BYU. I had experienced a significant relationship upheaval not too long before this, and I was a little worried about my psycho-spiritual state as I prepared to finally get serious about my education and get going on my degree. As I sat in the temple pondering the past and future events in my life, I pled with my Father in Heaven for guidance and peace. To my plea I recieved a very strong impression, almost as a voice speaking to my ears, that I would meet the woman I would marry at school this semester. This was not exactly the answer I expected, nor did I feel more guided or at peace because of it. Nonetheless, I briefly pondered the prompting and then let it slip into memory as I filled my mind with preparations for school.

A week after that experience in the temple, I sat in my Theoretical Foundations class on the first day of classes. The desks were arranged in a circle, and sitting directly across from me was a beautiful woman who radiated with happiness and energy. I think it was her infectious smile that caught my attention. She was positively stunning as she sat there chatting with students next to her... all the while I just sat there trying not to be obvious in my gaping attraction to her. As I attempted to direct my attention to anything other than her, I recieved an impression of equal intensity and spirit as I did just a week prior in the temple: "That is the woman you will marry!" I felt a wash of peace as I considered the prompting I had just recieved, but that feeling was quickly pushed out by my own thoughts: "But I don't even know her name! I bet she's married already... the pretty ones always are." Thanks to the great blessings of the Lord, I quickly forgot that I had recieved that impression until just a month before Cami and I were married because I think I would have managed to become a total basket-case and/or completely ruin things with Cami if that bit of revelation hung over my head throughout our courtship.

As things go in these sorts of cases, I finally did learn her name and, to my great delight, discovered that she was indeed single. We became friends through our association in class, better friends as we talked together outside of class, and even better friends once we started dating. The rest is history... obviously the dating thing turned out to be a success since after only three months of association (with only half that time spent formally dating) we determined that we didn't like the thought of not being around each other all the time and thus got engaged.

As mentioned prior, we were sealed on May 12th, 2007 in Boise. Since that time my love and admiration of Cami has exponetially increased. Not only is she my wife, but she is my best friend, my most trusted confidant, and my favorite person to be around. I miss her when we are seperated for even the extent of a workday. My heart is knit as one with hers. I feel her pains as my own, I experience her joys as my own, and I find that she feels the same for me. I know that in marriage we should be equals, but I feel that she is so much my superior. I relate to the words of the song that say "You could do better than me, but I can't do better than you."

A little over two years ago the Lord answered my plea for guidance and peace with the revelation of my pending marriage to Cami. He could not have answered that plea any more appropriately! Aside from the Holy Ghost I have no greater guide in this life than I do in Cami. She has been constant and disciplined in our walk together. And outside of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have no greater source of peace than I have when I am with Cami. She fills my soul with happiness and light. I will be forever grateful to my loving Father in Heaven who brought Cami and I together that we might be husband and wife. I will also always be grateful for the principles of the Gospel which enable the two of us to build a marriage that is founded on charity, faith, hope, and love. We aren't perfect now, but if we continue to strive together towards Christ, I know that one day we will be.

So, here's to 18 months of marriage, Cami. I look forward to an eternity yet to come as your husband and friend.

With all my love,

Ty

Hilarious Halloween: Ty's turn

2008-11-01T22:38:00.000-07:00

I am not sure whether I should be flattered, complimented, or disturbed, but two men from our ward (both of which being friends of mine) did not recognize me as myself in drag!
In the case of my first friend, he kept his thoughts to himself until I took off my wig and he realized it was me. Then he confessed to thinking, after he saw me, that I was possibly the ugliest woman he had ever seen, and felt that there may not possibly be a man in the world for me. We got a good laugh about his misconception, as well as some other consequences of my costume (this guy was the same guy who was the father of the poor child that I frightened).

Tonight Cami and I went over to another couple's house who are good friends of ours, and Dave informed me that another guy from our ward- a member of my Scout Committee no less- also thought me to be the ugliest woman he had ever seen. When Dave informed him that it was me, he was completely astonished.

So, my costume may not have made me to be one of God's more attractive creatures, but it did fool more than one person! All I can say to those who were fooled: you must have a pretty liberal idea of just how ugly a woman could possibly be... shame on you!

Hilarious Halloween

2008-11-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

I am posting some pictures of our Halloween. Ty is upset that I will be putting his picture on the blog, however, I told him that he was asking for it the way he dressed last night.

I dressed up like a Hawaiian. Kendra you will recognize the dress while Jenay will recognize the necklace and earrings. It may not have won an award like Kendra's costume of Tinker Bell's cousin, Rocker Bell, but it was fun anyway.

There is a certain professor in the School of Accountancy who dresses every day in a Hawaiian shirt and blue jeans. He must have at least 20 different Hawaiian shirts, however, that is all he ever wears. Our director thought it would be funny to get everyone to dress up in a Hawaiian shirt and jeans on Halloween as a joke. It was fun to see that out of 30 professors, about 25 had Hawaiian shirts on. It was a lot of fun. Halloween is also a fun time in the Marriott School because they always have a lunch for the staff and we often have professors bringing in their children to trick or treat.

Ty and I also went to the ward Halloween party last night. During the day Ty decided to make his own costume by cutting out a piece of cardboard and tying it around his neck. The cardboard said "I am a NUDIST dressed like a regular, clothes wearing person." I like a man that can come up with a cheap costume.

He wanted to wear a different costume to the Halloween party. I was just playing around and put my costume wig on him. He decided that was a good idea and proceeded to put on my skirt and shirt. I thought for sure he was joking, but he then added lipstick and blush and we departed for a fun party.

At the party, he got many looks and a lot of laughs. I introduced him as my sister "Bertha" and refused to kiss him when he tried to kiss me. (He is still mad at me for this.) We ate some chili and then since we had volunteered to help with the fish pond, we went to do that. I went in the back to attach prizes to the line and Ty was in front helping the kids out. Things were going great until a little girl who was about 2 years old saw him and started to cry and cry. Ty felt bad that he had scared her. I was laughing so hard and I was trying to help the little girl. I had to pick her up and carry her to her mom because she had her face pressed against the wall and refused to move. Afterwards, we apologized to her parents, who laughed it off. Overall it was an interesting Halloween.

Happy Birthday Monthly List

2008-10-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

We are starting something new. We will have a happy birthday box for each month. We have over 27 birthdays to remember now that we are married and so it is difficult to get cards out to everyone. I hope you all know that we remember your birthdays and hope that all is well.

We hope in this way, we can help you all feel that we care even if we can't afford to get you a card or a present.

Hair by Twixt

2008-10-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

I had a request to post a picture of my new do. Here it is. Here is the story:

I went to Shep's Salon, a little basement salon. It looks like it is in grandma's basement and then you go into this hip place where they play some crazy new fangled music. There are also three male hair stylists there. My grandpa would have a fit! Anyway, I felt very metro if you know what I mean. Patrick consulted with me on what I wanted and without warning me, snip went the hair. I was a little worried! He got rid of 7 inches of hair without blinking an eye. He then turned me over to a skinny guy who informed me that his name was Twixt and that he would be washing my hair for me. I really didn't want to laugh, but I wondered if he was serious. I was going to make some wise crack like "Oh you are a combination of a twit and a Twix" but when I realized he was serious, I didn't say anything. Patrick came back and cut my hair. It wasn't anything like the picture I had showed him, but he assured me that it was hip. He then proceeded to spray my hair with 1/2 a bottle of hairspray until I almost passed out due to lack of oxygen. I hated it! I specifically told him that I didn't like bangs and what did he do? He styled it so that they hung in my face like a dead, drowned rat.

I came home and was worried what Ty would think. I started blubbering about my experience. He just laughed as I cried and blubbered "...and his name was Twixt....and he just hacked off my hair...". Ty being the wise man he is suggested I go to Fantastic Sams and get it highlighted. This seemed to be a good idea. I did so and Kendra (that was her name) was able to style my hair more to my liking. I did it this morning in about 10 minutes. I am happy with the result, even if it was a traumatic experience getting there.

Enough about the hair. One of the most exciting things happened on Friday. They dedicated the new addition to the Tanner Building where I work. I lovingly call it "the Tanner Tot" as it has only 4 stories and the original building has 7. President Monson came to do the dedicating. He graduated with an MBA degree several years ago and as Pres. Samuelson said "He is our most distinguished alumni". It was a very special experience. The whole first presidency came as well as several other apostles. I was in a separate room due to space issues, however, I could feel President Monson's power as our prophet. It was a special experience. I love my new job and I love working at BYU and having such wonderful experiences.

Friday Night Lights!

2008-10-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

I figured that if I didn't post these pictures of my own will and choice, Cami would do so for me and then I would be at her mercy for the description of the event. What I am talking about is my first BYU intermural football game.

The activities guy in my Elder's quorum (whom I home-teach) decided to get a group together to play with the BYU intermural games. He sent a sign-up list around and when I, being the last person to get it, saw that only he had signed up for the team I was motivated by a feeling of responsibility and mis-placed loyalty to sign-up for the team to help him out.

I didn't realize that they had also sent a list around the other Elder's quorum in our ward and they got a much better turn-out.

But, I decided that I signed up for it, I may as well go have fun. And, to tell you the truth, I did have quite a bit of fun. I played center with offence (a position I have less-than-fond memories of from Jr. High football) and just tried to stop anyone I could on defense.

So, without further adieu, here are some pictures of the football experience!

A Treatise on Self-Inflicted Agony

2008-10-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be high-time for me to add a few comments of my own to the blog. Cami has done a great job picking up my slack this past month, and for that I am grateful. It seems that Cami is really great at picking up my slack generally... I keep promising her that one day the roles will reverse and I will be the one to do the picking, but until that day comes I can only be grateful for a wonderful friend and companion who not only says that she loves me, but shows me that she does through her thoughts, words, and deeds.
Part of my excuse for leaving so much slack in my life for Cami to pick up is the extreme anxiety I daily face over the completion of my research-- the culmination of which being in the form of a 30 page 'scholarly' document about something I pretend to know only just a little about. Everyday I subject myself to paralyzing agony over the sheer thought of putting words on paper towards this end. This mind-numbing punishment I renew each morning with increased devotion. Day by day I slavishly approach my computer, open my rough draft document, and proceed to minimize it in order to direct my attention to just about any other activity that I can invent. I permit these distractions to control my mind until a sufficient amount of guilt builds in my bossom and finally explodes in a crazed outburst of writing. Of course these outburts are in direct relation to the degree of pressurized guilt which prompts the explosion. And, as is the case with all actions which ellicit guilt, daily my guilt dwindles until a week from now I fear I may not feel at all guilty about playing spider solitaire for 6 hours straight.
I know that as Cami has read this, her grip on the arms of her office chair has continued to tighten until at this moment it may actually require minor surgery to remove her fingers from the plasticized foam arm rests. Therefore, I will reassure her (and anyone who may be concerned) with this simple little life-altering revelation I recieved this afternoon: I need to get off my lazy derrier and git 'er done! This measure of self-motivating censure has kicked my guilt into over-drive today. Now my goal is to hold onto this guilt in order to use it as a daily motivation to get work done without the ever-mecessary ritual distractions.
Although this may all be a little over-dramatized, the fact of the matter is that I guess I have been a little intimidated by the daunting nature of the task ahead. But I feel confident that I may find the strength sufficient to accomplish all things I must as I continue to rely on those who make my life a blessing to live: my Lord, my wife, my family (including my great in-laws), and my friends. Thanks to all of you who fill me with stength. May I find a way to fulfill the measure of your expectations.

Tag? I haven't played that in a while.

2008-10-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

So I guess I am supposed to write some stuff about us. My sister "tagged" us. That means anyone reading this blog has to do the same...I guess. I am not very hip, as you may already know. When Ebay is your primary shopping experience, well....

Here it goes: Don't say I never did nothin' for you Kendra.

8 favorite tv shows: Eight is a lot. I think I can also answer for Ty who is at the moment camping with the scouts. We watch everything together anyway. These aren't necessarily in order of preference.

1. Stargate - It's just plain cool.
2. Star Trek - Who couldn't like it? It is so classic.
3. X-files - Why do I like this again?
4. The Office - Hilarious! (and sometimes shocking)
5. Monk - Very amusing
6. 24 - Scary and almost real.
7. hmmm...Ty likes Smallville, I don't
8. Not sure on this 8th one...

8 Favorite Restaurants - These are in order of preference.
1. Tucanos - Meat and more meat!
2. Tepanyaki Japanese Grill - Konichiwa
3. Los Hermanos - Sabrosa!
4. Papa Johns - Bon Giorno!
5. Bombay House - Spice and rice
6. Brick Oven Pizza - Don't let the name fool you, they are light as tarts.
7. Costa Vida - Es Facil
8. McDonalds - Millions eat there, why shouldn't we?

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. I got up
2. I took a shower
3. I ate breakfast
4. I went to work
5. I worked at work
6. I had a lunch for my boss for bosses day
7. I came home
8. Ty and I watched the X Files movie with a couple of friends.

8 Things I am Looking Forward to: (Miss Grammars says this should be: things to which I am looking forward, but who really talks that way anyway?)
1. Going to San Fransisco next month
2. Riding the train to Denver
3. Going home for Christmas
4. Being settled somewhere with money and a house
5. Having a family
6. Getting a better car
7. ? Ty can fill these in later
8. ?

Things on My Wish List:
1. Peace in the world - Why is that so difficult?
2. World Peace - Quite a different thing
3. Piece of cheesecake - I am craving that right now.
4. A new car - I am looking forward to it and it's on my Wish List :)
5. Health for all of my family
6. A Massage
7. Warm weather
8. Ty to be home and not out camping with the scouts.

Well that about does it I think. Now you know all about me/us.

Back By Popular Demand

2008-10-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we have had requests to update our blog. I didn't know we were so popular. Ok ok, so we had a request from my sister Kendra :) For those of you interested in the continuing computer saga from before: I got my new computer and it seems to know its place. I gave the problem computer to the new part time girl, she wasn't there today, hope she is all right. So here's another crazy look into the lives of an ordinary and sometimes boring couple:

We went to the zoo last Saturday. It was extremely cold, but fun at the same time. Ty had to "study" the primates for his Biological Anthropology class. I am not sure the purpose of the studying. Was it to find out how similar monkeys are to men? Or was it to see how we hope that we are not similar? It was interesting anyway. We watched the Capuchin and Golden Tamarin monkeys for 1/2 hour and then moved on to the Gorillas for another 1/2 hour. We watched them try to get macaroni out of a square PVC pipe for a half an hour. It was definitely entertaining there at the zoo. I don't know why they fascinated me so much. Perhaps because they are some long lost relatives. I am just joking about all of that. I know who my mamma is and she ain't no monkey.
(A picture of baldy. My name for the old, slow moving, blind Capuchin on the left. Poor little guy. He was ugly. There was a bald Tamarin also. The sign said it was the dad and that all the babies had pulled his hair out. No joke. I guess they aren't like humans since our dads pull out their own hair.)

I particularly loved the Golden Tamarin monkeys. They are little balls of golden fur that jump around and play. They had 3 babies born recently. They were so cute, I wanted to hug them, and love them, and squeeze them....anyways...

We also rode on the newly constructed carousel. Ty chose the Tiger and I chose the Panda. I don't know if that has anything to do with our personalities or not, you can be the judge. However, remember this: Kung Fu Panda rocks!

It started to snow on us as we were walking around, but I still decided to get my flavor burst cone. It is ice cream with flavored syrup swirled in it. I was cold, but it was good.

Most of the animals were asleep of course. Why do zoos have nocturnal animals if they are only open during the day? I bet the zoo is a party place at night, however, it isn't so fun to see them during the day. "Oh honey, look, it is a very rare (fill in the blank)." "Where? I don't see it?" "Oh, it must be in its box sleeping, but the picture's pretty good." Since we aren't supposed to tap on the glass, there isn't much to see. Don't we all wish we could just stir up those cougars and tigers a little? That's why we go to the zoo right? To see some Discovery Channel hunting action.

So, we did have fun and hope you enjoy the pictures. Just think of it this way, by looking at our pictures, you mostly saw everything that we saw since most of the animals were hiding and asleep anyway and who could blame them? I should have been at home curled up in my warm house as well.