The Minnick Family

2011 Family Pictures

2012-01-19T20:00:00.001-07:00

No Complaints

2012-01-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

So as of late we have been trying to catch up from the holidays. We really took a nice break from everything then and then as of January 3rd its been running to and from event, activity, work, school, and whatever else to try and keep up. Frankly there is a great part of me that feels guilty for doing this blog post. I think that we are in need of some family journaling.

We have some sick kids this week. Ezra and Kate have taken the brunt of the sickness. With the switch in our health insurance we lost our trusty doctors- including Dr. Tayna Jackson. We are sad. Now the kids will have to become accustom to a new pediatrician. We will miss the IHC network greatly. Ezra has been coughing a ton tonight and Kate has nearly rubbed her skin off of her nose. (She is very conscious of not letting anything 'run out'.)

Liz has been able to keep up with the kids amazingly well. I am not sure how she does it. I was home an afternoon and I commend her. She does a wonderful job with our kids.

With New Years came some sort of resolutions. I decided to try and put down my Coke. During the Christmas break I went to Macey's and they had Coke on sale. I bought some. It was down hill from there for the rest of the holiday.

The girls have been playing a ton. They are super smart. I try and keep up with them and I think "I am not fast enough". I've come to the conclusion that I need something motorized to keep up with them.

One thing that I am thankful for is family and our obedience to the commandments. As of late I have been able to see the blessings that we have from these two things. I love them. I love that our focus in on our little clan. I think that it is very interesting that we are blessed with such good circumstances. I mean why, right? I am not totally sure--other than some reassurances from our patriarchal blessings I'm clueless as to why. I look at so many so close to us and what they are going through and it simplifies my daily opinions- I have no complaints.

Cheers!

Hot Chocolate with Hot Wife

2012-01-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

So we continue our obsession with Date Night, thankfully. We had a chance to steal away this last week and went downtown, did some light shopping, and stopped off for desserts at our favorite place, Gourmandise - The Bakery for hot coco. It was chill to be together.

I heart Liz.

Mickey & Minnie

2012-01-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

I have been making breakfast lately. I love to cook breakfast and hate to eat it, but Lizzy has gotten me to eat it without compliant. We have a sandwich iron that I got from my Mom. It has to be nearly as old as me and I love it. We make the best breakfast sandwiches in it- egg, cheese, ham.

The girls think these are the cool.

New Years Eve Dinner & Dance

2012-01-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Doug Minnick

December 31, 2011

New Years Dinner — with 12 others atLamb's Grill Cafe.

Lamb's Grill Cafe

Restaurant · Salt Lake City, Utah

We were glad to do the annual New Years Eve Dinner at Lambs again. I love that place. Each time I walk in I realize that I love and I haven't been there in 6 months to a year. It is all decorated in dark wood and super traditional. The live music and the old furnishings set it apart from many. We had a crew of around 30 from the Beus Family.

I can't remember what I got but Liz and I got to sit by Brian Beus, which is always a treat, and our kids were with their cousins. I love seeing the little ones eat and socialize together. They did such a great job with their manners.

After the eating came the dancing. We went to our ward house and Katie and Fred had their annual dance. (Now their ward has made it a tri-ward activity, but its still Katie and Fred's to me.) It was rather fun. I decided to 'shake it' at the party with the girls and Liz. I have found that I am not able to do the 'Boot Scoot'in Boogie' as I used to back in my teenage years.

After the dance we came home and rang in the New Year together as a family. All the girls surprisingly stayed up. They were happy as larks and enjoyed watching a movie downstairs while Liz and I enjoyed being upstairs together.

I feel good about 2012 and so does Liz. We see some triumphs, changes, and challenges along the way but we are ready to meet them.

Urban Camouflage

2011-12-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Over the holiday break Liz and I got to go to some movies! I love movies and it is something that as of late I just haven't been into. It seems out of no where I decided I need to go to the cinema.

We went and saw on two different Date Nights the new Sherlock Holmes and also the new Mission Impossible.

Sherlock was good. There was some funny parts and the mystery was good too. I have to admit that the Urban Camouflage was my favorite part of the whole movie.

Next we went and say Mission Impossible. I have a suck for Mission Impossible. I could watch each one and then all of the TV series and not be bored. It wasn't the best one yet, but it was good.

So there you go.

Moves like Jagger

2011-12-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

We all had a nice post Christmas holiday. I had to only work a couple hours for like 3 days of the week so I had some nice time at home. Everyone had a good time. Many board games, walks, naps, trips to the store (exchanges), dancing, and just over all fun was had. One song that stuck out to us was 'Moves like Jagger'. While we know this isn't the best song it sure has a catchy tune. I promise now that I've written about it, even three weeks later, I'm going to have it in my head all night long. The girls sing it and do this funny thing with their hips. It is hilarious.

We had some returns to do which took us to the mall. We ended up at the Apple store and also H&M. The girls took a tour of H&M and fell in love. Jane just looked at me when I made it to the 2nd floor and said, "Dad this is my style". It made me smile. And frankly I'm good with her style at H&M's prices.

While at the mall I was interviewed by KSL TV and it was a cheese ball reporter who was trying to get me to state that my wife dragged me to the mall with our kids and then headed into do some shopping while I managed 5. To his surprise it was me who took us to the mall and asked Liz to go into the stores so that I could be with the girls and Ezra. Funny thing.

The rest of the break I rededicated myself to board games (some) and also play an amazing game with of War with Liz. It was the best card game ever played in our existence. Right honey?

Holidays- love them!

Christmas 2012

2011-12-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Christmas this year. We had our holiday start off with Christmas Eve- one at home the whole day... it was a 'No Car' day. We had a great dinner and also the nativity. The girls and Ezra did perfectly well with it. It was rather funny. Our nativity lasts somewhere around 20 minutes with all the scriptures, acting, and singing and they keep their attentions well. Half way through I think that Ezra thought that we were on crazy juice.

We also got to go to our wards Christmas Devotional (Mormon Mass) and we did have a good time. I sang 'O Come, O Come Emanuel' with 7 other guys from our ward. It was nice and simple. We came home and went to sleep having a good Christmas Eve. We put out our presents and waited for Santa do do his workings after we went to sleep.

I had to do some sneaking out during the night to get one of Lizzy's presents. She wouldn't go to sleep, typically she can't without me in bed, so I had to finally tell her that I needed to go somewhere and I'd be back within an hour.

That week sneaky little me bought Liz a newer van. Our red Honda Odyssey, which had passed the point of repair return in my opinion, was on its way out. I new it and we needed to make a transition anyways or place about $2500 to $3500 in repairs on it. With the age and the visible need for more space soon I opted to get a new van.

I had called Rands Auto where we have purchased two cars now and asked them what their stock was like. They replied letting me know and I bartered a price on the phone. A few days went by and they came down and I signed a contract. How I was able to work out the whole deal without Lizzy catching wind was rather amazing. I had to have people take me to Bountiful to pick it up (thanks Ethan), have two families store it in their driveways (Seeleys and Balls), and most of all not blab my own secret. (I can keep a confidence through torture, even tickling, but a surprise/ secret--never!) I nearly said it at least 10 times when Liz wanted to do something with the van like- fix the bald bald tires, replace the broken windshield, have the scratches on the paint buffed out, clean it, fill up the tank (2 days before Christmas at gas prices of $3+), or do any number of repairs. Regardless she was surprised on Christmas Morn with a new van. New Van = Happy Mom. Happy Mom = Rewarded Husband.

The girls on Christmas morning were hilarious. We did get them some very needed things and some very fun things. As usual, in our house, art kits won the day. All of them got these art pads to draw, paint, or color on and they LOVED them.

We were able to head over to the Beuses and enjoy some of the afternoon with them. It was nice and fun. We had a very relaxing afternoon with them. Then we headed to Dad and Lauradenes house. It was a quiet visit. They had no one but us visit that evening so it was rather fun for the girls to hang out with the grandparents.

I love Christmas. It is a great time of year. I am very appreciative of my blessings- the greatest of which is Christ and then my family.

Christmas Sing-a-long & School Choir Concert

2011-12-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Anne is in the Alta View School Choir. They practice each Tuesday/Thursday at 7:30 AM. This requires them (Jane goes and watches and waits) to be up by 6 AM, happy, and obedient to attend. They have done wonderfully well at it.

Their in school concert was the one we were able to attend. Their songs were hilarious:

-Christmas Tree Feud

-Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

-Jingle Bell Rock

-'I like presents what's it to ya...its finally Christmas Day...' (Set to Glory Glory Hallelujah.... Hilarious)

Also another thing that both the girls, and the rest of the school were involved in was the school Sing-a-long. Each Christmas, just before all the kids get out for the break, the principle and the school Student Body Officers lead a school sing-a-long. It is great and each year I leave laughing so hard. They pick a theme and this year was the 12 Days of Christmas and then each grade/class sings a song. Some are traditional and some a super funny! Above you see a picture of Anne and one of her classmates Hope. Great shot of Anne.

The kids are out for 2 WEEKS- isn't that awesome. I'm wishing that is something that the Canyons District was able to keep up on every year, but I know that it is super difficult to do... The Calendaring Committee has a tough job and I know after serving this year.

I love my kids and to see their growth and I'm thankful to have the support of the public school system and the great talent involved and fighting in it!

Ezra- the yogurt boy

2011-12-14T21:34:00.001-07:00

Here you see our Ezra. He is addicted to yogurt. I think that if he had his way he would only eat that. He is growing quickly. Now he is up on his knees trying to crawl. Everyone in the family is cheering him on- especially me. I get so excited when our kids get to the point that they can move on their own. It is so great!

We found out that Ezra has a simple allergy, right now (to be grown out of), to wheat. So we're looking at protein for him. No worries the boy is 6 months and already weights 20 lbs.!

Make things Scrumptious

2011-12-14T21:23:00.001-07:00

Tonight at dinner Kate was giving us her usual recipes on how to make things yummier. She took two cucumber slices and some carrots to make it 'scrumptious'. It was rather cute. Then she went on to tell me all of the things that she would put into a soup that we could eat- oranges, apples, spinach, chicken, catsup, jelly, and peanut butter.

Cope

2011-12-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

"Life is not the way it is supposed to be. It is the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference. "

-Virginia Satir (1916 - 1988), American Author and psychotherapist

Isn't that the truth.

We have been busy and coping with our busyness really well- I believe. We haven't really had much time to rest (or at least that is how I feel right now). We have been accomplishing things. Activity that is driving at results.

Work has been well a lot of work. I have appreciated the last few weeks because we are making good head way on what is going to be successful, what people believe will be successful, and proving out those two. I am working with more of our employees day to day now. It is nice to get to know them better. I hope that I am helpful to them. At first when you start reporting to someone new it can be stressful and alarming- yet I'm hoping that I have reduced that interference and we are moving towards results based measurements.

Our family is doing well. As I step back and look at us I do see good progress in areas that I didn't realize. No need to tout, but only to be thankful.

I have been enjoying the Christmas holiday. I have found so many people helping me see the simplicity of Christmas and I love it. I can see the hustle and bustle of others and now better understand the sigh that older people put out when they see the busyness that doesn't create better relationships.

Many Hands Make Light Work - Neighborhood Christmas Party

2011-12-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

We had our Neighborhood Christmas Party on Saturday evening. It was a nice party. Simple and traditional. I had the opportunity to Chair the party committee. I had lots of fun with our committee members in the planning- Michael & Morgan Hanson, Julie Kevin Newman, Holly Horton, Krista Spainhower, Heather Jones, Angela Oviatt, Travis Behunin, Court and Sam Love, Darren Balls, John Clyde, Liz Minnick, Tim Weiss, and Lena Johnson. The committee was killer. I think that I honestly could add like 10 more people that helped out tons because they are related to these committee members and were drafted by association and another 20 that helped because they are just willing and pitch in.

Our planning of course started out early in November and we met a couple of times. It was fun planning, fun meetings. We decided to have a traditional dinner- ham/turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, salad, water, and desserts. Our activity would consist of a Christmas Play and also an Ugly Sweater Contest.

I hadn't helped out in a Christmas Party since 2010. How quickly you forget and how quickly you remember the involvement it requires. As soon as I remembered I decided I was remaining calm and happy through this activity. I think that I did delegate better this time around.

Once you step back and review the work that goes into these things you think- WOW that was some work!

Party Review:

1. Two 1 hour committee meetings
2. 80 pounds of potatoes, 4 gallons of milk, and butter still left to be calculated, salt, pepper.
3. 4 turkeys prepped and cooked
4. 4 hams prepped and cooked
5. 25 lbs of lettuce, spinach, carrots, onion, and cabbage
6. 25+ pitchers of water
7. 25 lbs of ice
8. 25 tables up, 25 tables down
9. 200 forks, knives, spoons, plates, cups, napkins set out and used
10. 25 center pieces
11. Pots for potatoes and mashing them/ roasters for hams & turkeys
12. Serving spoons, forks, etc.
13. 4 buffet tables up and down
15. 4 chaffing dishes (clean 2 days later)
16. Santa Clause & Helpers
17. Santa Clause's Room
18. Candy for Santa to hand out
19. Santa's Costume
20. 25 primary kids (ages 3 - 12)
21. Towels for everyone to wear on their heads with ropes to tie with
23. Bathrobes, long tops to look like Jews/Gentiles & Nephites
24. A manager
25. Decorations- lights, christmas trees, ornaments
26. A 44 oz Big Gulp of Coke for me
27. Set up at 3:00 PM
28. Mid-week play practice (1 1/2 hours)
29. Saturday play practice (1 hour)
30. 200+ chairs up, 200+ chairs down
31. Mop gym & kitchen
32. Vacuum halls
33. Leftovers bagged up and distributed
34. Ugly sweaters- 1 each for participants (at least some shopping and creativity time included)
35. Primary children practicing parts (memorized, read- over and over)
36. Play script arranged (Childrens Book of Mormon & Bible Stories, Bible, The Book of Mormon)
37. Blocking stage for scenes
39. Opening / Closing prayers
40. Thank you's (opps forgot those until after the prayer)
41. Mixing and mingling
42. Refilling water pitchers
43. 2 dessert tables- a heavenly buffet
44. ?

Oh I could go on and on. The thing that I would like to point out is that I can associate someone to each of those many things. I can sit and think of 20+ more things we could put down and then some. It is true that 'many hands make light work' and I am very thankful for everyone. It was a great opportunity and I'm thankful to have been involved.

Merry Christmas!

Ugly Sweater Contest

2011-12-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

So as I mentioned with our Neighborhood Party we did have an Ugly Sweater Contest. I went out three times trying to find ugly sweaters that I thought wouldn't look like something someone I knew would wear (big concern of mine with this contest). Then I kind of found some but they were like $8 a piece.

I had an idea to take strands of Christmas lights and battery power them in a sweater. Then I was going to do it for all 7 of us. Yet I couldn't get the battery packs to work correctly and I didn't want to pay for LED lights (because they are super expensive).

I was at my Dad's house and saw all of their Christmas decorations that were old and still boxed. They didn't want to keep them anymore because they could decorate 5 houses with what they have already. I asked if we could use them. We chose the theme 'Old Christmas Deco' and then pinned the garland, beads, bows, poinsettias, and doves to our pullovers. It was killer, but they were super annoying to wear around. Nonetheless we participated- which is unusual for us in this type of event.

And yes that picture is crappy. Thank you iPhone.

Piano Recitals

2011-12-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Anne and Jane continue to take piano lessons from Grandma Beus. They are doing very well. It was nice to go to the recital. Anne and Jane love it because it is mainly their cousins that Grandma is teaching so it is like a fun cousin time. Also, at the same time, it really is a serious recital.

Anne played Jane played 'Skip to my Lou', 'Race Car Rag', and 'Home on the Range'. Jane played 'Wind in the Trees' and 'Trains a Coming'.

Jesus Christ is Born - Christmas Play

2011-12-11T07:17:00.001-07:00

“Jesus Christ is Born”

Arranged by: Doug & Liz Minnick

Parts:

Adult Male Narrator - John Barraclough

Adult Female Narrator - Amber Hansen

Child Narrator - Acea Johnson

Isaiah - Mason Newman

Nephi (1 Nephi 10:4)

Alma - Anne Minnick
Samuel - Logan Oviatt

Nephi (at time of sign)

Nephite Children

Jerusalem Children

Cæsar Augustus

Joseph - Justin Spainhower

Mary - Kara Snowder

Baby Jesus

Shepherds

Angel to Shepherds

Herod

Wise Men

Scene 1

Prophets Testify andThe Americas

Male Narrator : For thousands of years, prophets all over the worldhave prophesied and testified of the divinity of Jesus Christ and of thereality of his birth more than two thousand years ago.

Isaiah comes on stage

Female Narrator : Isaiah, a prophet in the Old Testament, said….

Isaiah: “Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shallcall his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) And“unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shallbe upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Themighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah exits the stage

Nephi comes on stage

Male Narrator : Nephi, a prophet on the American continent, prophesied…

Nephi: “Yea, even sixhundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the LordGod raise up from among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Saviorof the world.” (1 Nephi 10:4)

Nephi exits the stage

Alma comes on stage

Female Narrator: Alma was a prophet from the Americas who, whilepreaching to the people of Gideon, said,…

Alma: “And behold, He shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which isthe land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel,who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, andbring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.” (Alma 7:10)

Alma exits the stage

Samuel the Lamanite enters the stage with Nephite Children

Male Narrator: Samuel the Lamanite was a prophet of the Americas.He testified boldly of Jesus Christ. He warned the people to prepare for hiscoming. He said,…

Samuel (speaking to the Nephite Children): “And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of hiscoming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in thenight before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shallappear unto man as if it was day. Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day andthere were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall knowof the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know ofa surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shallnot be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born. And behold, thereshall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and thisalso shall be a sign unto you.

(Helaman 14:3-5)

All Nephite (Primary) Children Enter onto the stage

Primary Chorister (Stephanie Seeley) enters and leads children in ‘SaidSamuel…”

All Nephite (Primary) Children Enter onto the stage

Female Narrator : The Nephites were among those people to whom theprophets had testified. The Nephites saw great signs and miracles that prophetshad said would happen before Jesus Christ’s birth. But some Nephites said thetime for Jesus’ birth had already passed. They mocked those who still believedSamuel the Lamanites’ prophecies.

The people who believed in JesusChrist and in the prophets were sad to think that something might keep theprophecies from being fulfilled. Those who did not believe in Jesus Christchose a day to kill the believers if the sign had not happened. Nephi, aprophet, was sad because of the wickedness of those who did not believe in theSavior.

Nephi prayed all day for the peoplewho were going to be killed. The Lord comforted Nephi and told him that itwould not get dark that night. Jesus would be born the next day in Bethlehem.That night in the Nephite land the sun went down, but it did not get dark. Thesign of Jesus Christ’s birth had come. The people were astonished. It stayedlight all night. When the sun came up the next morning, the people knew thatJesus Christ would be born that day. The prophecy of Samuel had been fulfilled.

Nephite children leave stage

Scene 2

Jerusalem

Male Narrator: While those followers in the Americas had seen the prophecyof Samuel come to pass, those followers who were in Jerusalem still were waitingfor Jesus Christ to come. Many of them, and their families, had sought afterthe Messiah, but had not realized how he would come. We will listen to how theApostles of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem tell of His coming.

Child Narrator: “And it came to pass in those days, that there wentout a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the worldshould be taxed. And all went to betaxed, every one into his own city.

All Jerusalem Children enter movingaround and gathering to pay taxes

Joseph & Mary enter the front ofthe stage

FemaleNarrator: “And Joseph also went upfrom Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David,which is calledBethlehem; (because he wasof the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his ^aespoused wife,being great with child.

Congregationsings: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” first verse only (Led by Sister Hatch)

JerusalemChildren leave stage. Joseph & Mary stay on stage.

Male Narrator: “And so it was, that while they were there, the dayswere accomplished that she should be delivered. And she broughtforth her firstborn son,and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because therewas no room for them in the inn.

Congregationsings: “Away in a Manger” all verses

Curtainshuts. Joseph & Mary leave stage. Curtains open with shepherds enteringstage.

FemaleNarrator: “And there were in thesame country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock bynight. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they weresore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to allpeople. For unto you is born thisday in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christthe Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped inswaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel amultitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory toGod in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towardmen.’”

“And it came to pass, as the angelswere gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let usnow go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which theLord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying ina manger.

Congregation sings: “Far FarAway on Judea’s Plains”, verse 1

Curtains close. Curtains openwith Wise Men being instructed by Herod.

MaleNarrator: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king,behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King ofthe Jews? for we have seen his star inthe east, and are come to worship him.And [Herod the king] sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligentlyfor the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship himalso. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, whichthey saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where theyoung child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding greatjoy. And when they werecome into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and felldown, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, theypresented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

All children come on stage to worshipthe Christ child.

FemaleNarrator: So many people lookedtoward Jesus Christ’s birth in the Americas, in Jerusalem, and elsewhere in theworld. They listened to the prophecies of the prophets and they saw thoseprophecies fulfilled. We know that Jesus Christ was born. We know he taught Hisgospel while he lived. We know He atoned for us. We now have the opportunity tofollow His prophets and His will today. We rejoice in Him.

Congregation sings: “SilentNight” all verses

After the song is completedallow the Primary Children to take a bow with audience applause.

“The most thoroughly wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed.” Nicolas Chamfort (1741-1794); French writer

2011-12-11T00:13:00.001-07:00

This week has been a week FULL of activity. We have been running non-stop. I felt like we hadn't been able to catch our breath until.... well right now. When Liz isn't responding via text the picture above, or something of the like, is usually what I send her to make her laugh and then hopefully she'll respond.

Liz is zonked out in bed thankfully. (The poor dear hasn't been sleeping much. Which is my fault because I keep her up late into the night... ) I, when I finally have time, feel the urge to update my journaling. (That is a sign I feel behind or I've had 10 minutes to relax- and relaxing to me is doing unfinished projects or writing when my family is asleep.)

Work has kept me on my toes. We made some changes there and now I have some added responsibilities. It will be move fun in the adventure. Thankfully my co-workers make the fun totally interesting.

Through all of the busy times I do find those that I enjoy being around most are the happy and thankful. I feel strongly that these are they that make the world go round. Truly when I saw the quote in the title I stopped and said to myself--that is the truth. Any day that you haven't been able to enjoy with laughter is one that is not worth reliving. Notably I have been busy but have been able to play with my kids, joke and hang out with my wife, laugh and even have tricks played on my friends.

We had a great human performance training this week by Dr. Manning (Griffin Hill). It was on being Assertive- not passive and not agressive. Assertive is being humble, focused, honest, confident, and driven. There were several things that hit me (my notes enclosed below). The greatest was one item 'you are who you keep'. It hit center for me. Those around me do effect me greatly. I want to have those around me be great assertive people that drive me, and others, to excellence.

_______________________________

GH Training Notes
Dr. Manning
December 6, 2011

Rational
Reasonable
Logical

Be Assertive (not arrogant, not passive).

Stay focused and in reality.

75% of illness/ sickness is self-induced

Passive welcomes resentment (passive aggressive). Then you'll become arrogant. wicked cycle.

The more passive someone is another will try and exert control.

Every psychological issue is rooted in control.

Aggressive peeps will try and gain control through manipulation.

As soon as you start comparing yourself with others you develop pride and self doubt.

SEP (Strategic Excellence Positioning)-set to position yourself appropriately- be assertive.

Assertiveness is something you develop.

Confidence is not arrogance. Passive is not humble.

Assertive is 55% body language.

Assertive is confident, humble, and honest.

10%, 80%, 10%- the final 10% are Assertive

You are who you keep.

Focused but fun culture. (i.e. US Half Pipe Team)

Next session is how to build Assertiveness.

We need to focus on Skill Sets.

Action Item: Be Assertive in all your actions.

Kate the Sunbeam

2011-12-11T00:00:00.001-07:00

So Kate is a little darling. Last week her Sunbeam teachers, Wayne and Liz Arner, were released from Sunbeams. Kate, right after, got really quiet. After the sacrament she slid over to me on the bench and looked at me straight in eyes and said, "Dad do you think that I could sit by my teachers at the Christmas Party when they come on Saturday because I won't be seeing them again." She then started to cry. She was so sad. She loves them so much.

Tonight was the Christmas Party. Kate was able to sit by Wayne and Liz the whole night. They were so kind to have remembered her. She loves them so very much. I wasn't at the table because I was helping but Lizzy said that the whole evening Kate spoke to them like she was an adult. She loved every minute of it.

Kate is such a good example of happiness. She is tough as nails. Each and every time she comes to me crying I find out that she is really really hurt. She doesn't sweat the small stuff around me. She is a little mother to Ezra. She beams when she is around him.

Santa

2011-12-10T23:57:00.001-07:00

Lucky us Santa came to the Neighborhood Christmas Party this year. The kids adored him coming. Ezra was happy as a lark seeing him.

Hopey was herself but she still kept talking to Santa even with her thumb in her mouth.

And Kate is just all about Santa and what her gifts may be.

Neighborhood Christmas Party and Christmas Play

2011-12-10T23:46:00.001-07:00

We had the Neighborhood Christmas Party tonight. It was very enjoyable. It was a simple deal and super traditional. That is my favorite- simple and traditional. It did take up some time in planning. The committee was very helpful- 'many hands make light work'. I can't begin to start listing all the names of those that helped this year. This year I did chair the committee and that was fun again. I felt strongly impressed that we needed to do a Christmas Play that associated happenings & prophecies in the America's and also those of Jerusalem. I think that it turned out well. Liz and I had the chance to put the script together and Krista Spainhower directed the Primary kids. All in all it went very well.

Jane was the play was able to come and be one of the listeners to Isaiah. Anne played Alma and memorized her part. Kate was in the play as one of the Nephite Children and also one of the Jerusalem children. It was fun to see how seriously they took their parts. They are darling children. I love them.

After one of these events you just marvel at everyone that helps and is willing to do so. I just love willingness and services. I love Christmas time. It is a great time of year.

Shoes & Socks

2011-12-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hope is in love with Sunday shoes. Particularly these white ones. Yes, I am aware it is winter and white is only supposed to be on the ground, but we make exceptions when you wear the shoes with Christmas socks right? I thought so. Sadly I didn't capture the rest of the outfit. She was wearing shorts. Why? That is what Hope wears in winter. Why? "Because silly it makes sure he pants don't get wet in the snow. "

Freedom Rock

2011-12-03T21:39:00.001-07:00

The best music collection ever. When I was about 10 my cousin Brian bought the cassettes, and my sister Katie and I listened to them over and over again, eventually ruining/losing them. (I still feel bad about that.) But here is the original list. Do yourself a favor. Go to iTunes and buy each and every song. If you have any taste in music whatsoever, you will send me home-baked goods to express your extreme thanks.

FreedomRock

Various Artists/Freedom Rock (Disc 1 of 2)
Label: Sessions Records
Year: 1987
01. Turn, Turn, Turn - The Byrds
02. I'd Love To Change The World - Ten Years After
03. Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull
04. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - JoanBaez
05. War - Edwin Starr
06. Black Magic Woman - Santana
07. Jump Into The Fire - Nilsson
08. Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
09. United We Stand - Brotherhood Of Man
10. One Tin Soldier (The Legend Of Billy Jack ) -Coven
11. Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
12. Going Up The Country - Canned Heat
13. Reach Out Of The Darkness - Friend And Lover
14. A Horse With No Name - America
15. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
16. Ramblin' Man - The Allman Brothers Band
17. Share The Land - The Guess Who
18. Friends - Elton John
19. Put Your Hand In The Hand - Ocean
20. Black & White - Three Dog Night

Various Artists/Freedom Rock (Disc 2 of 2)
Label: Sessions Records
Year: 1987
01. Layla - Derek & The Dominos
02. The Story In Your Eyes - The Moody Blues
03. Signs - Five Man Electrical Band
04. Sunshine - Jonathan Edwards
05. Love Train - The O'Jays
06. White Room - Cream
07. White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
08. Both Sides Now - Judy Collins
09. We May Never Pass This Way Again - Seals &Crofts
10. In The Year 2525 - Zager & Evans
11. Eighteen - Alice Cooper
12. Hush - Deep Purple
13. Get Together - The Youngbloods
14. The Beat Goes On - Sonny & Cher
15. Abraham, Martin & John - Dion
16. Lay Down - Melanie
17. I Got A Line On You - Spirit
18. Fire And Rain - James Taylor
19. Me And You And A Dog Named Boo - Lobo
20. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding

Bountiful Baskets

2011-12-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

Liz found a co-op that we are in love with- Bountiful Baskets. We love it. Healthy food and lots of it. We plan to get it weekly.

For $28.50- 5 loves 9 grain bread, tomatoes,

radishes, green peppers, kiwi, cucumbers, broccoli, butter

lettuce, oranges, onions, blackberries, pineapple, apples, pears!

Killer deal!

Lights

2011-11-29T21:30:00.001-07:00

This year was no exception on trimming our tree, and house, the day after Thanksgiving. We got home from swimming and ate pizza while getting out all the decorations. It was rather fun. The girls are really making a good tradition out of things. They remember so many things and the exact way they are 'supposed' to go in the house.

The night before Thanksgiving I was able to finish up the Christmas lights on the house. Each year, for the past two, I've tried adding a tree to decorate. The trees upfront are rather small so... it hasn't been too difficult. Janey is especially thrilled that I did her dogwood tree. She has been begging for nearly two years.Hopey would like us to do her tree in the back yard. It is dead. She told me, "Dad can you do my tree. You know the one with no leaves..." We'll be buying a new tree for sure. Next year I do plan to trim the giant pine tree in the front. It is going to take some effort and $$ to do it the way I'd like but it will be great.

Christmas lights are one of my favorite things. I remember Danny giving a talk when he was about 14 to our Sandy 16th Ward about the Light of Christ. He was chosen because of his love of decorating with Christmas lights. It was a great talk and I remember it each time I put up lights. Frankly each year it drives me to put up the lights on the house we live in and decorate because he explained the meaning so well it hit the core of me. Truly it is a way to celebrate the Light of Christ and His birth.

'Prove me now herewith'

2011-11-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday was relaxing. We slept in until 7. With all of the staying up from Black Friday I couldn't get out of bed. It was nice to sleep in once more.

We had an enjoyable Sunday. Early morning meetings were quick- and thankfully so. Our Sacrament Meeting was great. The talks were an added bonus. They spoke of tithes and offerings. It was great to hear people be so open and forward with their desire to fulfill the Lords will and also their requests to have him proved. The testimonies were good ones. (Jackson Green, Angela & Doug Oviatt.)

I was reminded of my Home Teacher Virgine Simkins who came to our home for a countless number of years and when I was 5 taught me a lesson on Tithing I would never forget. He told me 'a penny for a dime, and a dime for every dollar.' Then he gave me this small cup that has 'Tithing' and 'Doug' written on it. He told me to keep all of my tithes in this cup and make sure to pay them to the Bishop. I still remember sitting on the floor near the entrance to the Living Room on our blue carpet listening to him teach this lesson to me. This coupled with the example and teachings of Dad and Mom have stuck.

Time and time again the Lord has proven himself with blessings. I can't even begin to recount them they are so many. I'm thankful for tithes and the way that tithing and fast offerings blesses my life. I'm thankful for the way this commandment(s) and associated promise(s) bless my families life.

The rest of Sunday was a continued relaxing period. We slept and ate Turkey Green Chili Enchiladas- divine.

The Cedar of Lebanon @ Temple Square

2011-11-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Realizing we have an obsession with Temple Square it is only natural that we got and see the lights after they are turned on. This year was no exception. We enjoyed heading over there. The night was perfect for viewing the lights, no snow which was disappointing, but a cold winter night.

This year I was particularly happy as they lit up my favorite tree- The Cedar of Lebanon. It is the stunning pine near the east gates near the JSM building and the walking entrance to the temple grounds.

We got to walk around. Traffic around the square wasn't bad at all. The girls love it. Ezra was wide eyed and happy. He was memorized by the lights.

Over by the Assembly Hall is one of our favorite spots. Funny thing that one of the best places is near the bathrooms and the back of the Assembly Hall. The lights are pink there every year. The girls love it- they say it is their favorite.

Above is Liz and Ezra sporting the pink lights. (Bad picture- time for a camera, right!?)

Below you will see what turned out to be the second most favorite thing of the night. As you go past the Reflection Pool and head up towards The Church Office Building you'll start seeing different nativities representative of several counties/cultures. The angel below made me and Lizzy laugh. I just couldn't stop imaging some little angel blowing his horn. It was hilarious. Sadly I didn't get a picture of his three angle friends that had a sign that hung saying 'Gloria'. It was rather funny.

Black Friday

2011-11-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have made it tradition to enjoy Black Friday and shop for Christmas. Each year I creep out at 11:45 PM and go to my traditional favorites. Jessica joined me this year again. She is a good compadre to have on Black Friday- she understands the event and deals.

This year there wasn't any fighting at all. Only cheering- which was hilarious. We went to Target and they had SO MANY PEOPLE! I think that there were about 30 rows of people that stretched well over 1/4 mile per row. (See picture above.) It was very funny. We bagged Target and went to Old Navy. Then I went back to Target at 3 am. Thereafter a few stores that can't be named and then later Walmart (which never proves to be of worth on Black Friday). At 4:30 AM I was done. I got home and was wide awake. I took advantage and went to the gym and ran 5 miles. 5 @ 5. It was a delightful day.

After I got home I took a short 30 minute nap and woke up for the day. Love it.

Gobble, gobble 2011

2011-11-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

The perfect meal is hard to come by. Thanksgiving seems to always be just right (or close enough) in our books. We are easy to please.

Liz worked her tail off on Wednesday making the Thanksgiving grub pies and rolls. She did a pumpkin cheesecake, berry, pumpkin(s), banana cream, and peanut butter chocolate. They were delightful to eat and hard to share.

We couldn't handle the thought of eating anything but home made ice cream. So we made two gallons- one vanilla and Oreo. There is nothing like home made ice cream. I like to make it late at night when everyone is asleep... Why? Because I can lick the paddles clean by myself.

We woke somewhat early on Thanksgiving- around 9. (I haven't slept in like that for years!) I prepared the turkey with butter, garlic, onion, sage, pepper, rock salt, and an apple. It was delish. I think that next year I may smoke the turkey.

The stuffing I did something different with. We were late on drying our own bread so I went to Maceys and purchased white and whole wheat french bread. Then it was buttered with garlic and seasoned with sage. I then added the celery, onion, and rock salt. It turned out divine!

After the lot was fully cooked I made the gravy. Sadly I made a fatal error with the gravy. Because I had added rock salt to the turkey there was no need to salt the gravy. I however was in a rush to get finished with the gravy (and also trying to save calories) so I didn't taste it. BAD IDEA!! The gravy was so salty it was horrid. That night while speaking to Uncle Dave Kate said, "We had turkey, and stuffing, and pie, and ice cream, and veggies, and grape juice." Dave said, "What about the gravy?" Kate said, "it was gross and too salty". I heart her.

The rest of the day we took a good family walk, watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade, napped, took another walk, ate, slept, climbed all over Dad, read books, and then went to eat pie at the Minnick & the Beus Clans headquarters. It was nice to see all of the Minnick family (we were there first). It is always a pleasure to see all the grand-kids growing up. Whitney is sending off her applications to BYU- can you believe it! Danny was there. Sadly though he is not doing well. The adeimia is his worst pain right now. It breaks your heart to see him as he is. Then we went to the Beuses and enjoyed time with them. We were able to reconnect there as well. It was a pleasure.

I love a good grace filled and relaxing Thanksgiving every year. The way it was intended to be. We are very blessed.

Spelling

2011-11-21T20:59:00.001-07:00

Jane has been working hard in all of her classes. She is super smart, but in a fathers interview she told me she wanted to get even better grades and she hoped to make it a goal that she could reach. I told her she would have to put in extra effort. Her work is showing in her grades and her attitude. (See her spelling/Sight Word test below.)

Jane is a funny girl. She loves to do crafts. I think that she has an closeness, that no other Minnick possesses, to crayons, markers, scissors, paper (all different types and weights), paints, design, etc. (Now come to think of it she was named after my mother and Mom was as crafty as they came so she could just be following her namesake.) Each day I come home to at least 3-4 projects that she is working on. Saturday, funny enough, Jane was to clean out her closet that had some 'issue' with how it was 'organized' and after about 20 minutes of 'cleaning' I went downstairs to find Janey making crafty signs to hang on all of her closet drawers so that she could better identify them. The signs were very well done.

Jane is the last to bed out of the kids and the first up. She is not just a morning person, but an all-around person- she is never in a sour mood. She is always ready to talk about something. She loves conversation and people.

Out cold

2011-11-21T20:33:00.001-07:00

Liz sent me this photo today of Ezra and I couldn't stop laughing. She got out his Johnny Jump-up and he played and played for about an hour happily in it. Then Lizzy said she went downstairs to switch the laundry loads and came up to find our bouncing baby boy out cold in his jumper. He has been a charmer the last few days. He has been sick and frankly I don't think that I haven't heard him cry once or be ornery while he has been sick. He is on the mend now thankfully. Love this kid.

Only share information that's first hand and never break a confidence.

2011-11-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend was relaxing. We were able to get some things done and enjoy some free time. I got the Christmas lights up Friday afternoon/evening- which has secretly left me singing Christmas tunes all weekend. Ezra ended up the last three days with a wicked croup-like cough so we kept him inside for 4 days. Seems he might be coming out of it.

The girls played outside in the newly fallen for a couple hours on Saturday. There were so happy out there they never wanted to come in. It was great.

Liz and I had date night and went down to The Garden at JSM. It was nice. They changed their menu and there is no Ruben Sandwich which is a super disappointment, but the fries are still there so we are still friends. We went and saw the new movie on Joseph Smith that is written in Lucy Mack Smith's perspective. It was great. Very missionary focused not so much a narrative. The whole thing is her testimony. It was great. We saw it with Kevin and Julie Newman- who we bumped into at JSM and had a good impromptu time with.

Sunday we had a great Gospel Doctrine lesson that I enjoyed. It was on James' writing (the assumed brother of Jesus) and it was reviling. I appreciated James 1:27 and what pure religion is. We also had a healthy discussion about what a true friend does and what information we do and do not share. Our instructor, Brother Randy Cousins, said that he only shares information that is straight from the source. I would add that you don't really share it, but help with it working with the individual. Then I would add that you never share a confidence unless given permission and only to those that permission is given for sharing. EQ had a great discussion on Christ's second coming. I appreciated it a lot. I have some studying to do on what is the difference of being 'quickened' by the Sprit so that you may temporary see God or His messengers and being 'twinkled' in the 'twinkling of an eye'.

The Sandy Hills Ward Christmas Party planning has begun. Yesterday we had a kick off meeting. It looks like it will be fun- ugly sweater contest, Christmas Pageant by the kids, 2012 video, and also good food. Should be fun.

Last night we had reading time. We are reading Harry Potter. It was funny because I've been so tired lately when it hits I don't realize it I just am knocked out. So I totally fell asleep mid-chapter mid-sentence on the floor. I'm getting old. The girls laughed at me.

My wife kills it.

2011-11-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

Above you see Kate and Hope's work from Mommie Pre-school. They are super excited to have Mommie Pre-school daily and each time I come home and they show me their work they are thrilled at the what they've learned.

I no doubt have an amazing wife. She works herself to death making sure everything is accomplished at a level of excellence I can't begin to describe. I had to go out of town last week for two days on a 2012 planning session for our company. Each time I go out of town I never have to worry because I know everything is going to go great even if there is a problem Liz already has it under control. I still worry and miss everyone. I frankly would rather die than be away from home. But Liz has it under control. She never complains at all. I know that when other guys go out of town it is like Pandora's Box opens up and their families go crazy. Liz keep it on an even keel.

So continuing with what my wife did while I was out.... She did Mommie Pre-school, picked 60 feet of grape vines, baked bread for us and the neighbors, led little friends in making bread-men, cleared out and cleaned up the vegetable garden, processed and bottle all the grapes into juice, took out the garbage, went to help her Dad, did the weekly shopping (with 5 kids in tow), laundered our clothes, made a b-day cake, and also made time to call and text and send pictures making sure I was okay. And those are just the things I know about!

I just love her. Cute girl.

Field Trip

2011-11-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today Anne had a field trip. It was a trip where they went from classroom to classroom where they learned about Geographic Information Systems (GIS). They were separated into groups and educated on the coolness of this technology. Liz was able to attend with them. Anne was in love with that for sure.

Anne said she can't remember much about this so she is going to update this blog post when she remembers her note book from school.

The picture above is her crazy group of friends- Anne, Isabella, Shelby, Coy, & Brock.

King of The House

2011-11-13T10:06:00.001-07:00

Here is The King of the House- Ezra. Everyone loves the little handsome guy so much. We can't get enough of him. Janey made this hat for him. It suits him perfectly. He is a kid with the happiest disposition. He rarely is ornery or mad. He just likes to play, have attention paid to him, to eat, and to sleep (in his bed).

We started him on rice cereal and he is enjoying it a lot.

The girls like to make sure that he has enough toys to play with all day long.

The Armory @ Crown Burger

2011-11-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Liz and I took opportunity to fill our 'grease bucket' at Crown Burger on date night. Liz (hamburger) and me (Gyro) enjoyed mostly the fries. They do have amazing fry sauce. I believe that they put relish in it. (Liz almost vomits at the talk of fry sauce- so this visit was exceptionally memorable.) Crown Burger has an armory and the most interesting decor I've seen lately. It made me laugh so hard I had to take pictures to share. (If there is a battle in Sandy I know exactly where I'm going.) Please note the following:

The lion fountain with ivy growing out of his mouth.

The tapestry showing two knights going at it.

Note at the end of the wall there. That is full on breastplates with swords overlaying them in an 'X'. By the way that is just above the ketchup, mustard, and fry sauce.

The built in lion statue.

More armory to joust with.

The fire place.

"By the light, not the dark, but the light of the silvery moon.."

2011-11-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Liz and I got the opportunity last evening to go up to the Lake Blanche Trail and take a hike for date night. We are just drawn to the mountains and so enjoy doing hikes together. Hiking is among the first 'hang out's' Liz and I did when we first met- so it is alway nostalgic for us to go.

We went hiking up for about 1 1/2 hours. I'm not sure how far we made it but our pace was fast and we didn't stop much at all. The conversation was great focusing on our kids, our selves, funny interactions that we've had this week that we hadn't time to update one another on.

It was about 8 o'clock that the moon finally peaked over the mountains and it was stunning to see even how bright the Moon's light was. The saddest thing for me is that I can never get a picture (and I've tried) that justifies the scenery and the hike.

Another thing that I absolutely adore is hiking where you know no one else is. The stillness is amazing. Right now up there there is still TONS of water that is coming down and fast. The Lake Blanche Trail doesn't veer from the rivers course the whole time (until you're about 3 hours in) and so you can hear that river the whole time. I think that the greatest distance you get away from it is about 40 feet up. Nothing like hearing rushing waters.

As we slid, yes slid, down on the ice we were able to mostly avoid injuries. I think that Liz has a bruised behind and I fell and landed with my right arm locked and all of the pressure went to my shoulder. Today we are a bit sore in those two spots but were able to head to the gym and work out- so we figure all is well right?

As we came off of the trail I had the song 'Silvery Moon' come into my head. It is a classic from the 1950's and I love it. With the Moon as bright as it was I started whistling it. Liz joined in humming. It was the perfect end to our hike.

"by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof.." Alma 32

2011-11-10T08:00:00.001-07:00

This morning I had opportunity in the parking lot to read Alma 32. I feel that I've memorized it nearly and it is those memorized chapters that I always worry about forgetting all the good sermon in them becuase I can quote it in my head. I took some time and really enjoyed it. The last 3 verses were particularly striking to me. I think that He sums it up very well talking about how you continue in faith and dilligence that in this life you will be able to taste of the unquenchable fruit at times. I related this in my head to the several things that have been stunning experiences in my life. Most them center with my immedate and extended family, personal direction received while in temples, the before and after of ordinances/covenants, in the performing of service, et cetera. I recognized the fruit I've been able to partake and needed to recognize it and remember it for myself.

Clear Skies, Full Moon, & Late Night Hike

2011-11-09T23:49:00.001-07:00

Today I couldn't believe how clear the sky was. I couldn't help but look from our South Jordan offices at the mountains and think about going up and enjoying them. I finally had to shut the blinds near my desk to keep my attention at work.

I was on the way home and thought of hiking the Lake Blanche Trail. I couldn't shake it. I text-ed some friends and got some bites. Ben Johnson & Doug Oviatt were willing to join me.

We left at 9 pm and hiked the trail. Stunning! A clear sky, full moon, Venus shinning bright, Milky Way trail, glimmering snow, with light and fun conversation. Perfect! I took us off of the trail for about 20 minutes, somehow we missed the connecting bridge on the trail, but we walked back and got back on track. I'm glad we did because you just can't miss how the 'canyon' (can I call it that) forms this perfect "V". Couple that with lower trees and you can see for miles in the moonlight.

Ben and Doug are such a pleasure to be with. Next time hopefully we can schedule earlier to get a few more peeps up there. I'm ready for the snow and snow adventures. I'm aching for it now.

The EQ

2011-11-08T23:26:00.002-07:00

Tonight I had the privilege of meeting with some of our wards Elders doing some PPI's. I just love getting time to meet with them individually. Hands down the best part of being an EQ President is to have individual time with each of them, know their concerns, help if possible, see growth, understand their faith, and their display of willingness. They are excellent examples to me.

Fainting by Anne

2011-11-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

This morning at 6 am I could hear Anne and Jane wake up and get ready for the day- this is the norm. They are the most responsible children I know. At about 6:15 I went downstairs to check in. On my way down the stairs I vividly and quickly remember seeing, in my minds eye, that Anne was going to faint. Super random, super inspired moment.

I walked in their room and we chatted about some things. Then Anne went over by her wall to stand for a minute. Her back was bumped up against the chair rail. I turned from looking at her to Jane to make a comment and help her quickly and then realized I should look back at Anne. At the moment I did Anne fainted falling hitting her head on their desk and chair. Certainly startled I checked up on her and she came to after about 15 seconds. It was super weird. She awoke and was obviously confused but okay.

After about 5 minutes when while she was lying down I asked her what she was thinking about- if she remembered and she told me that the 'Mickey Mouse' song was going through her head and that was all she could think about. She started laughing. Super funny. It reminded me of when I was in high school and passed out while reading 'To Kill A Mockingbird' and woke up confused and thinking that I was in the story-line of the book.

Anne is a trooper. She stayed home today enjoying some free time with her Mom and younger sisters. Jane went to school. She doesn't show a sign of being sick. We're certainly watching her super close though(- but for a Minnick this isn't something super unusual, right)! Today she started writing her first family blog posts. They're are good ones.

Above I mentioned about the super random and super inspired moment. This has happened many times with me. I can clearly see things and know they are coming, but at the same time they aren't moments where it alters the course of my day or my actions, but just prepare me for something. Undoubtedly this is the Holy Ghost. Just amazing isn't He, yep.

Date Night #672

2011-11-05T23:46:00.000-06:00

Date Night was about me thanks to Liz celebrating my birthday. We keep things simple- food from Desert Edge, something sweet from someplace, and my usual downtown and Temple Square stroll.

I love our nights away together. It is certainly the best. I love how super chill Liz is but also how passionate she is about things. I had a good lunch with a co-worker this week where we talked a little about our wives. We had a lot of similarities- knew our wives long before marrying them, easy going but fun gals, friends before romantic, and so on. It was interesting to note that in both of our cases (though I'm not trying to draw an exact match in relations) we, because of the way our relationships started, noted that we had great friendship in marriage and great communication. We didn't talk of romance, but I'll say for my part its over-the-top stellar and legit.

Summary of this post- I'm still head over heels for Liz.

(And no I haven't been counting our Date Nights- and if I did I think I've underestimated.)

Harry the Snowman

2011-11-05T13:18:00.002-06:00

Today we got about 6 inches of some fine powder. Lovely!

We took advantage of it and made our first of many snowmen. Today Harry was made. Great fun with girls and Liz.

I love the cold. I love snow. I love that it gets the 'die hard' season lovers out. I love winter!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:E Cordova Cir,Sandy,United States

Big Wheels

2011-11-04T17:49:00.000-06:00

Saturday I pushed our girls in the late afternoon to get outside for the last day of fall before the snow came. A storm was blowing in. They took advantage and played out on their bikes and big wheels for a couple hours. Kate and Hope are hilarious on their big wheels. Frankly they are both speed demons on them. Hope will wrap the corner from Pat Maurer's house to ours at about 20 mph. Kate, on her scooter, is super crazy too. Kate, who knows how to ride a two wheeler, would give it up in an instant for a big wheel. :/

Anne and Jane are cruisers on their bikes. They haven't been on any long rides lately (to Macey's and back) so we'll likely do that this Saturday if at all possible (weather permitting).

Otherwise we took time today to do the final rake on all the leaves, put away the patio furniture, get out the snow blower, and clip some of the dead plants out of the garden. I'm happy we did it- though no one was aching to leave behind cartoons or the prospect of going to the gym.

Bell Canyon

2011-11-04T08:16:00.000-06:00

Today we went on a hike up Bell Canyon since Dad did not have work and Jane and I did not have school. It was so much fun! When we got to the lake it was super pretty and really deep. Everyone ate a string cheese and drank out of their water bottle. Then we threw some rocks into the lake. Everyone's rocks went super far and made great big splashes! We had a great hike back down. Then we went home and had a great lunch and a rest. Today we had a great hike!!!

Happy Birthday, Doug!

2011-11-03T09:27:00.003-06:00

So today is Doug's thirty-third birthday. Hope thinks it is very cool that he is three, like her. In fact, he is two threes, which makes him extra cool.
Doug likes to prod me periodically about posting to our blog, so this is his second birthday present today. A blog post, dedicated to all things Doug.
I like Doug because:
He makes me laugh. He pushes me to be my best self. He is lots of fun to hike and snowshoe with. He loves our girls and little Ezra and is very involved in their lives. He loves me and tells me so often. He helps me with the housework. He works hard to take care of our family. He worthily holds the priesthood, and he knows how to use it for good. He is passionate. He is a hard worker and doesn't settle for anything less than an A-1 job. He is a good planner. He stands for truth in everything he does, no matter the circumstance. He likes to help others. He writes me poetry. He does all the cooking on the weekends. He is super handsome, especially with a little stubble/short beard on his face. He takes me on dates on the weekends. When he has spare time, he wants to spend it with me and the kids. He is creative. He is frank and honest. He doesn't let the little things throw us off track. And he is visionary and hopeful for the future. Those are just some of the many reasons I am still so in love with Doug after 10 years and 5 kids. He's the best.

Dad's 33rd

2011-11-03T07:35:00.002-06:00

Today was Dad's Birthday! It was so much fun. We prepared for Dad's Birthday by Mom making a yummy chocolate ganache cake. After that we all made great cards for him too. When Dad got home we all got in the car and went to the Red Iguana to get killer nachos. They were great and super spicy!After that we gave him our cards and presents. He loved them!Then we sang Happy Birthday, took pictures, and ate the delicious chocolate cake that Mom made.We all had a great time today.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2011-11-02T21:26:00.002-06:00

Tonight we had Parent Teacher Conferences. Jane's teachers, Malan & Moscoso, raved about her ability to speak Spanish and that her reading levels are high. Her math is above average. One suprise (not really) is Jane is super social.

Anne's teacher, Sra Contrarras, was 1 1/2 hours behind schedule, but we waited and had another good report. Anne is on a 7th grade reading level- 6th grade in Spanish. The trick for her is going to be keeping it up. Her friends at school are many and kind ones. I got to meet most of them while waiting which is always nice.

Kate & Hope bee-bopped around the school pretending they were in school. Those two are hilarious. Kate found every heat vent and tried to speak into each one. :/

Liz had the YW over to make bread to make bread tonight. I'm going to eat their creations...

The waltz, rumba, and Cha Cha

2011-11-01T21:16:00.004-06:00

Tonight Anne and I were able to go to the Daddy Daughter date with the Activity Day Girls. It was fun to go. There were many girls/dads there. We ate a simple dinner and then watched a review of their year. At the end we were instructed on how to do the waltz, rumba, and the Cha Cha. Anne did really well with my two left feet, but all in all by the end we kept on going back and forth working on the waltz and the rumba and it turned out to be super fun.

Anne is such a smart and beautiful girl. She gets so many things done so well.

Kate only communicates by heat vent

2011-10-31T22:06:00.003-06:00

We've had a good time lately- truly we have no real complaints. To me we have somethings that aren't totally enjoyable, but overall we're freaking blessed. Our kids continue to keep us entertained and busy. Lately I find I am learning more from them than they from me. Somehow I guess I supposed to be the adult in these situations, but I'm finding more and more that they are so uber-responsible that I am just learning from them.

Yesterday was Halloween. We had some fun. Here is the run down:

Anne - a witch

Jane - Hermione

Kate - a mermaid

Hope - Cookie Monster

Ezra - a duck

Liz & Doug - a Liz & a Doug

There was a school concert and parade on Friday and then also a Neighborhood Halloween Party. Saturday night we had donuts at Brian's house in Heber (delish!). Sunday we carved our pumpkins. Monday we went out trick-or-treating to the neighborhood. 4 days of Halloween- we wore the holiday out. Not to mention at least 20 days of the girls doing scary crafts and art around the house! All in all it was a good and memorable Halloween.

Sunday we had the pleasure of hearing from Jim & Mary Burrows and Elder Henrichsen. Very inspiring talks. Mary spoke of a dream she had with her recent mothers passing- it was a sweet experience. Anne and I were sick so we came home after Church and had a delightful brunch on the patio.

Our dearest Kate cracks me up daily. She has some of the funniest things coming out of her mouth. She is somewhere between age 4 and 22. She and Hope have told me lately all about when they go to college- where they will live, the clothes they will be willing to share, and how they will date men. Also they have developed some interesting dancing techniques. My favorite from Kate is how she will only communicate via the heat vent from upstairs now when she needs someone downstairs. It is rather humorous- frankly it is one of my favorite things to hear at 7 am in the mornings.

Project Parking Stall 2011

2011-10-29T23:39:00.001-06:00

In 2010 I conjured up the idea that I needed a 3rd parking stall at our house to create more room to have randomness in the garage. Randomness = clutter in my world (bikes, kid things, not-put-away stuff).

Late this Spring I started digging it out. I made great headway on the project. Then Ezra was born and I stopped for the summer months. I tried starting again and again- 10 wheel barrow fulls a day?, a week....? Regardless my motivation didn't pan out.

Thankfully my EQ buds (Tory, Bobby, Dave, Darren, Rob, Aron) came over today and helped, literally, dig me out of my Project 2011 that was killing me. Life savers these guys are.

Now it is onto gather enough river rock for an extended rock wall and then bark or cement.

And BTW the randomness shall not be happening in the garage. (My father has possessed me.)

Backyard Fall Family Photo

2011-10-26T23:19:00.001-06:00

Each year we rake up our leaves to a pile and kneel in the same spot to take our annual photo under my favorite tree in the backyard. The experience is sometimes funny... We never have anyone to take the shot for us so we rely on the 10 second timer on the camera. It usually leads to too many shots with too many people trying to quietly sit and stare, with a tired smile, into a camera with no one behind it. But does this stop us? No. We must have the same photo each year.

I love fall.

Good Naps and Stake Conference

2011-10-23T22:28:00.004-06:00

We had an excellent Stake Conference. Liz was asked to speak in our Adult Session and she wonderfully well- straightforward, based in scripture, personal, lead by the Spirit, and she's becoming quite the orator. (She'll kick me for the orator part, but it is true.) See her talk here:

Liz's Stake Conference Talk - Adult Session 10/22/2011

Also the Stake Presidency spoke in the Adult Session about seeking the face of the Lord. While seeking President Oviatt stated that we should be 'seeking his presence' in those places we go or are. Good thing to strive for.

The other sessions were great as well. Priesthood was nicely spoken based in how to approach opportunities and challenges in a gospel setting. President Oviatt led this portion and I appreciated it very much. The steps are:

1. Identify the challenge/opportunity

2. Pray for guidance & the spirit of decrement

3. Study the challenge/opportunity

4. Make a decision

5. Pray for confirmation

6. Act upon the confirmation

He said one thing that resonated a lot with me. He spoke about the confirmation of the spirit in this manner... "When the thoughts of your mind speak the same thing as your heart, which is peace, then you know it is a confirmation of the spirit."

The General Session was by broadcast. It was great. The part that just had a particular resonance with our family was Elder Bednar's talk. He spoke so plainly about how to better know the Lord and also how to better see His plan. He spoke of the most defining Characteristic of Christ was revealed in JST Matthew 4 where Jesus Christ while in aguish reached out to others- sending ministering angels to be with John the Baptist while in prison. It was stunning the way he explained the scriptures. He is a seer and a prophet and I just so much enjoyed his talk.

Our girls really paid attention. Janey still is talking about two or three of the stories he told. Anne has spoken to me three or four times about the ways that he explained the characteristics of Christ. (I'm writing this blog post about a week and a half later.) It was a very enjoyable talk.

After the conference we came home and had such a relaxing day. We slept on the couch- cuddling together. I love to have all my kids close to me. I also love sunday naps.

Liz's Stake Conference Talk

2011-10-22T22:51:00.000-06:00

President Frandsen asked me to speak about how I am teaching my family to have Christ be the center of their lives. So you know where I’m coming from, my husband Doug and I have been married for ten years and have five children ranging in age from 4 months to 9 years. I know a lot of you are at a different stage in life than we are or that you come from a different family circumstance. But I can only speak from what I know, so I pray that as I speak, the Holy Ghost will communicate ideas to you that will work for you and your family.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, “The cultivation of Christlike qualities is a demanding and relentless task—it is not for the seasonal worker or for those who will not stretch themselves, again and again.” That sounds daunting, to say the least. But Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, “I have been impressed recently with the thought that this life is made up of little things—little things that count a great deal.” I believe that it is through our daily and weekly accomplishment of the “little things” that we accomplish the “demanding task” of centering our lives on Christ. These little things include family and personal prayer and scripture study, family home evening, family councils, church attendance, father’s blessings and interviews, service, hard work, wholesome recreation, and more. In our home we have also incorporated family reading time and weekly date nights. I believe that every good thing we do together as a family ultimately leads us toward Christ. As we improve our relationships with each other, we improve our relationship with God. But as I thought about the topic, four specific practices stood out in my mind. We aren’t perfect in any of these, but we are striving to incorporate them in our family.

FIRST,

We do our gospel teaching and studying directly from the source—the scriptures and the words of the prophets. Nephi stated, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Nephi 25:16). So rather than reading a book about the Book of Mormon, we read the Book of Mormon. Rather than reading books about the words of the prophets, we read the words of the prophets, as printed in Church magazines. And when we go beyond these things, we focus on materials printed by the Church, like these. (show children’s books). I’m certainly not saying that supplementary sources not published by the church cannot be good and helpful, but when these other sources start to displace or even completely replace our time in the scriptures each day, they become dangerous. The scriptures—particularly the Book of Mormon—need to come first. Our children need to learn how to understand and interpret the scriptures for themselves. They need to become familiar with gospel language.

So when we have family scripture time, our children begin repeating directly from the scriptures as soon as they can talk. And they begin reading the Book of Mormon for themselves as soon as they can read. President Marion G. Romney said, “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes, the spirit of contention will depart, [and] children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents.” Isn’t that an amazing promise? We have proved it to be true in our home. When I have those days when I wonder why everyone is fighting so much, I usually realize that we have forgotten to have family scripture time. And if I have everyone stop what they’re doing and spend just a few minutes reading the Book of Mormon together, a peace comes into our home that cannot be obtained from any other source. Now, with our children being little, our family scripture time lasts only about five minutes, but when we do it every day, I feel confident that our children are becoming familiar with the greatest source of truth about our Savior Jesus Christ.

SECOND,

In our home and in sacrament meeting, we are trying to teach our children to be still, so that they will be able to hear the whisperings of the Spirit testifying of Christ. In one of my favorite scriptures, Psalm 46:10, God admonishes us, “Be still and know that I am God.” I love the word still. It doesn’t denote laziness or sleepiness, but rather an alert watchfulness. It appears in many scriptures, probably because the ability to be still is a skill vital to our relationship with Christ. Exodus 14:13 says, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” And we know from 1 Nephi 17:45 that the Holy Ghost, the primary testator of Christ, speaks to us “in a still, small voice”, which we won’t be able to hear unless we are being still.

One way we are trying to teach this is by eliminating sacrament meeting distractions. As Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, “The ordinance of the sacrament makes the sacrament meeting the most sacred and important meeting in the Church.” So our children are expected to sit still not just during the sacrament itself, but during all of sacrament meeting. This means that we do not bring snacks, drinks, toys, books, electronics, or drawing materials, even for our smallest children. This may seem a little drastic—some of you may be thinking that this works for us only because we have four girls, but my mother-in-law accomplished it while raising six active boys, so it can be done. We have found that the fewer distractions our children have, the quieter they are. We want our children to understand the central role the sacrament plays in their lives—that the sacrament is the time when, after proper repentance, the blood of Christ cleanses them from their sins. A few months ago, in the quiet between the sacrament prayer and the bread reaching our row, one of my girls leaned over to me and quietly confessed a small lie she had told me during that week. In just those few moments of sitting still, she’d had time to reflect on her week and remember one thing that she needed to put right before partaking of the sacrament.

I am under no illusions that my children sit perfectly still during sacrament meeting. They do pretty well, but every once in a while they have a particularly difficult time. When they do, we use a trick my mom taught me—after church, we discuss again the importance of the sacrament and then practice sitting still on the couch. When used sparingly, this method really works. (Even on Doug.) A few years ago I thought that it was a good idea to encourage my husband to sing in the choir for stake conference. I made a second mistake when I brought along multiple snacks and toys for my 2- and 3-year-old girls. I think we made it to the second talk before the first fight over a toy, then maybe five minutes longer before the first tantrum, over a snack. And these were not quiet fights or tantrums. By the time we hit the halfway point, I was overwhelmed. I ended up leaving early with my two youngest, close to tears. When we got home, I picked up my Ensign in order to calm myself. As soon as I opened the magazine and began to read, I very distinctly heard, in my head, a voice telling me, “Have them practice sitting still on the couch.” I called them downstairs and calmly expressed to them the importance of our church meetings and that since they had had so much trouble sitting quietly, we were going to practice. They listened, they understood, and they practiced. After that, I remembered why we didn’t bring toys and snacks, and we recommitted ourselves to the “sitting still” part of sacrament meeting.

Another way we make time for our children to sit still is by having personal scripture study together in the mornings, sitting quietly in the living room. Our older girls read their copies of the Book of Mormon, and the younger girls, who can’t read yet, look at the scripture stories published by the church. There is an incredible feeling of peace and oneness when we are all silently reading together in the same room. My husband is available then to answer any questions or give any help the older girls need, and when there’s time, the younger girls can take turns sitting on his lap afterwards and pointing out the letters they recognize in the Book of Mormon. Again, the time all of us are there reading together usually only lasts a few minutes, but that time is priceless in setting the tone for the day and focusing our thoughts on Christ.

THIRD

We openly discuss not only family goals and decisions, but also family problems with our children. We try to counsel together. A few years ago my husband needed a new job. He interviewed one week for a job that we thought would be a good fit for our family. The next Sunday he and I decided to fast about this job. When we told our oldest, who was 7 at the time, why we were fasting, she declared that she would like to fast with us. She fasted without complaint for a full 24 hours, and my husband was offered the job. I was amazed. She has had a solid testimony of the power of fasting ever since that day. Had we tried to spare our children the worry of the situation—had we tried to protect them from it—she would never have gained such a strong testimony of fasting. Our younger girls are following her example. They have fasted for both family and ward members with medical problems, for help in resolving familial problems, and for strength to overcome their own problems. Even our younger girls have decided to do their own form of fasting, which they call “candy fasting”—no treats or sweets for 24 hours. Last fast Sunday as I was preparing their lunch, our four-year-old reminded me, “Remember, Mom; don’t give us any treats, because we’re candy fasting.” They look forward to the day when they, too, will be able to fast fully. They are learning to look to Christ not only “for the remission of their sins”, but also for the resolution of their everyday problems.

FOURTH

In addition to giving father’s and other priesthood blessings when needed, my husband has father’s interviews with each of our children on a regular basis. The family proclamation states, “Fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” In reference to this quote, Elder Ballard has stated, “Physical protection against natural or man-made hazards is important. Moral dangers are also all around us, confronting our children from their early years. Fathers play a vital role in protecting children against such snares.” Father’s interviews are times when a father can help to protect his children against these moral dangers. Our girls are young and eagerly look forward to these interviews, but I remember the interviews I had with my father when I was a teenager. I would drag my feet and complain all the way into his office, but I would come out beaming. He would ask me how my scripture study was going, what I liked and didn’t like about what was going on in our family, how my schoolwork was going, etc. But he would also frankly ask about my personal worthiness. He gave me timely reminders of the conduct that was required of me as a disciple of Christ if I expected to serve a mission and be married in the temple. And when he asked me such personal questions, that was the time when I most knew that he really cared about me. He cared enough not to shy away from the hard questions.

In general conference a few weeks ago, President Boyd K. Packer affirmed that “with all that is going on in the world, with the lowering of moral standards” our children “are being raised in enemy territory.” But we are promised in Proverbs that if we “train up a child in the way he should go, . . . when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). I know that if we do our best to teach our children—if we incorporate the basic, daily practices the Church has directed us to use and listen to the Spirit for direction—our children will learn to center their lives on Christ, and they will be protected. We know they will struggle, and they may wander, but in the end they will return to the teachings of their youth.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Bearded Family Pictures

2011-10-22T15:08:00.000-06:00

We took chance to have our family pictures taken in the fall leaves up by the Temple Quarry today. We don't have them back, but after the setting we took a couple quick shots that Anne and I did. The leaves are stunning right now. I can't believe how colorful everything is. We can't wait to get them from our photographer. We'll share in time.

I grew a beard. Somewhat hesitantly I share this, but now that I have shaved it, and have heard the questions why "because you looked better", I am honestly thinking that it is time to take the fashionable cover up of facil hair. Liz says its okay, the girls think that it is itchy, but its a change and change is good, right?

Blog owners- yet again

2011-08-16T12:48:00.002-06:00

So after nearly 3 months I now can login to my blogspot.com account. We switched to Google Apps and it disabled any ability I had (or Liz had) to get anywhere within Google.

Dear Mr. Minnickfamily.Blogspot.com- its great to get reacquainted!

Prepare for posts!

Ezra Nelson Minnick

2011-06-06T21:34:00.007-06:00

Ezra Nelson Minnick joined our family today. It was such a great day. We left home early in the morning and headed to IMC in Murray. Liz decided she was going to have this babe non-medicated and she was very successful. After about 2 hours of minimal progression things really started moving along quickly. We are very sure that while Liz was up and walking she went through transition and was ready to deliver after 4 hours of having her water broken. The staff was excellent and Liz was brave beyond belief. I was of course a basket-case.

After some difficult labor and nurses and doctors clamoring to find one another our baby boy came! It was great to see him. Frankly you could have knocked Liz and I over with a feather that it was a boy. We both knew, however, from promptings that we've had for 3 years now that it would be a boy, but just the confirmation is awesome.

We knew immediately that his name, that we had selected previously, was right on. Ezra Nelson Minnick. Ezra after Ezra Taft Benson and the prophet Ezra in the Bible. Nelson after my Moms side of the family- the Nelson Clan. And Minnick because we want him to be classed among us, right!!

During his birth and after the spirit was strong. You could cut it with a knife. The veil was thin- special experiences were had.

He is a handsome boy. The girls were there out waiting in the hall to see him. Thankfully they were able to come in and see their brother. They were just as surprised as we. It was fun to see them hold him. They made immediate attachment to him. They are all goo-goo-gaa-gaa about him.

We were able to have Grandpa & Grandma Minnick, Grandma & Grandpa Beus, and also so many other family members to have the pleasure of meeting him.

The hospital stay was short and sweet. 24 and Liz was done. #5 had no need of staying in our opinions. We lead the doctors down the path that our baby would have jaundice and would need lights and that was enough for them. They took our novice understanding of newborns (sometimes you'd think they'd neglected the fact that we have 4 healthy kids at home) and let us out early. (I actually believe we were out in less than 24.)

Liz is doing beautifully. She has now had 5 successful deliveries- 1 C-Section and 4 VBAC's. She is a trooper! It amazes me how much she is willing to go through for one of these little babies. I admire her and love her so much.

We welcome our Little 'Handsome' Ezra to the family. He certainly will be spoiled with attention and loved immensely- that is no doubt.

The emergency Prepardness fair

2011-06-05T18:38:00.001-06:00

On Thursday we went to the emergency Preparedness fair and I got to help with the water booth with some of my friends and my sister Jane.

We had popcorn and candy and cookies.

I passed out Water to everyone that came to the Water booth.

My mom

2011-06-05T09:23:00.001-06:00

My mom is so awesome. She helps me with lots of stuff. I love her.I can't wait for the baby to come. My mom is going to be induced Monday morning. I think the baby is going to be a girl. Hope thinks the baby is going to
be a girl so does Kate. Jane thinks it is a boy.

Kate's b-day was lots of fun. Here are some of the presents she got.

She loves her Polly's and plays with them every day.

Last night we went to temple square we walked around for a little bit and then went and did some somersaults.
-Anne Minnick

very funny: thank you notes 10 years old

2011-05-05T20:24:00.004-06:00

Promptly after we returned from our 2 week honeymoon I took the assignment of writing all the thank you notes from our wedding. I finished them all. It took all the time I had when Liz was gone doing things for like a week. Liz agreed that she would take the thank you cards and get all the addresses on them and mail them. After about a week or two of them sitting on the dinning table we put them in a box. The box eventually got taped. I reminded Liz each time it was moved in the old Canyon Road apartment. Then the box started its move to Provo, all around Provo, and then to Sandy. At some point along the way I teased enough that she said that she would do them on our 10th Anniversary. Then it sat in several different locations all waiting for Liz.

Last night while I was writing our anniversary blog post I almost went down to the storage to pull them out and take a picture of them. Yet I decided not to say anything about it.

Tonight we had a delightful time out with the girls around the temple. I gave Liz her anniversary gift. It was rather sweet to remember our sealing. Then Lizzy gave me a box that had a envelope in it that was address. She said she sent them all out today! Hilarious!

For those that were in that box it is going to be a funny thing. I can't remember exactly what I wrote but it generally sounded like this, "thank you for the spatula you gave us. Love, Doug & Liz Minnick".

So funny!

10 years: A gift of tin

2011-05-05T00:01:00.004-06:00

Time has flown by. I can not believe that we have hit our tenth anniversary! How fun! I feel tremendously blessed to have Liz. I benefit from her goodness every day. As I look backwards I have only found memories. Truly I see so much of the term 'marital difficulties' prevalent in society and feel blessed beyond measure because we haven't experienced that. Thank heavens (and knock on wood!). I don't believe we will.

Liz has such a great outlook on life. She is one that sacrifices for so many and most of all for me and my 4 (soon to be 5) cute girls (or possibly 1 boy). She is intelligent and attractive, witty and funny, loyal and friendly. She is my perfect and ideal.

I love her. Happy 10th Anniversary honey. Here is to many many more- like an eternity and then some more eternities! Love it!

Suggested gift for this year is tin- you're worth a lot more than tin!

Love descending in and out...

fasting and good examples

2011-05-01T22:55:00.007-06:00

This weekend was a nice one. Simple and short, but good all at the same time. I had a great first week of work at Lendio. It is a good company with good people there. I like the business model and have several things I enjoy. All in all a great change. We had a nice date night. It was nice to get away with Liz. I really enjoy Date Nights a lot.

We had a fun Saturday. Spring brought us a nice surprise with 8 inches of snow. It just happened late Friday night. Also our power was out for a few hours, but nothing that was entirely too bothersome. Frankly, the worry really should be about the flooding that will be occurring due to this over abundance of snow. I always revert back to '7 years of plenty, 7 years of famine'. It is true.

Saturday evening we watched 'Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader' with the girls and Jessica. We had Papa Murphy's vegetarian pizza with red sauce, sausage, and pepperoni- delightful! I love C.S. Lewis' Narnia more than I can properly explain. It is a wonderful series. I always walk away enriched and feel better about things. One line of Reepecheap speaking to Eustace the dragon rang through to me, "extraordinary things happen to extradorinaiy people...' and while I don't feel extradorinaiy I do feel blessed and that I have much to be thankful for. Looking at my wife and children makes me consistently feel this.

Also Sunday afternoon Robin, Unlce Owen, and Penny came by to visit. Robyn was in town. She wanted to catch a quick visit prior to her leaving tomorrow. It was nice to have an hour with her. She is a caretaker to the end and a doll. I just love her. It is nice to see Uncle Owen and Penny. Owen and John Barraclough have rekindled their friendship which I am happy about. They were two good friends in a great time of need for each of them while in Long Beach, CA years ago.

This afternoon we also had the pleasure of going to Miranda Elle Beesley's blessing. Fred did a stellar job. Katie bore her testimony in Sacrament Meeting. Katie and Fred are always great examples to me. I am thankful for our close proximity and relationship with them.

Kate, in ever more increasing ways, is showing so much maturity and responsibility. She is constantly amazing me. The smallest task is always done with such order and willingness. I love her.

Anne is so happy and just beyond her years. Saturday we had a discussion about style, attitude, and direction. She has such foresight and such good understanding of situations that are normally beyond many. She is a compassionate girl.

Hope is so smart. She has memory that could surprise anyone. She remembers lyrics to every song, exactly what was spoken in any conversation, and details about everything.

Saturday evening we began our fast. Jane decided she was ready to begin fasting. I explained it and we began all together. I am always amazed at the will of a determined child. She did wonderfully. Each time she needed help she bowed her head in prayer. If she couldn't handle being tempted by food she buddied up with Anne or me. She, at the end of her fast, allowed me to break our fasts together. She knelt and offered the most tender prayer thanking Heavenly Father for allowing her to feel and understand the Spirit. She expressed herself so maturely. She knew what she had felt. Just stunning. I certainly have the association of 'choice special spirits'.

Pictured above we'll find Jane in her new fake glasses she insists on wearing whenever possible. What a character!

Photo booth

2011-04-25T21:25:00.001-06:00

We found a photo booth and I think that this is the first of many more photo booth shots.

Baby Minnick Update

2011-04-25T21:08:00.002-06:00

We had chance to go to the doctor and see our newest Minnick all prepped and ready to come in a month. It was nice. Our doctor, Dr. Frorer, is a great guy and has given Liz and ultrasound the last two appointments for no real cause at all except the machine was in the room.

If my promptings are right I'm still predicting (hesitantly) we've got a baby boy coming.

And tomorrow I start my new job at Lendio. We, yes we, all are very excited.

Hope says confidently, "We go to Church because that's what the Bunny says."

2011-04-24T20:17:00.000-06:00

After our short, but fun, family vacation we came home (on another uneventful and happy ride) to Sandy. We rested. We went on date night. We woke to a lazy house on Saturday and enjoyed the sunshine.

8 AM came with the first inaugural Easter Egg Hunt at Macey's Food Store. It was well attended and I'd recommend it to anyone. Anne and Jane went off to the big kid section while Kate and Hope went to the 2-3 years division. When they started Kate and Hope walked in perhaps 5 feet, knelt down, and began scooping candy in their baskets. They didn't move a solitary inch in 20 minutes and had baskets spilling over. Anne and Jane had a more adventurous division where you had to fight for your winnings. All in all a good tradition we'll add for years to come.

At Noonish we dyed our East eggs. They were great colors. 4 dozen of turquoise, orange sunset, neon pink and purple, and traditional yellow, blue, red, and green. It was great fun. The girls really enjoyed themselves. I am consistently amazed at how well behaved they are and how well they do at projects.

We napped, rode bikes, and rested for the pending hunts. Edwin & Anne had Hunt #2. The hunt went nicely. Many candy filled eggs. We planned to take our contribution of only hard boiled eggs and return with none yet that didn't happen. We came back with all but one. Still it was fun to see Katies little ones there. The sun was still shining and I had a BBQ in mind. We invited the Beus Clan over for a BBQ. It was a nice event- a simple and fun get together.

The Easter Bunny struck on Sunday morning. Baskets hidden and needs awaiting in them made the girls excited. I had a conversation about 6 years ago with the Easter Bunny that the Minnick's would prefer to only have things that each child needs in the basket and one piece of candy. Truly it has been a great decision that the Bunny and I discussed. The girls loved their baskets and small presents inside.

Funny enough last year Anne got tennis shoes in her basket. I, nor Liz, had realized until we got to St. George the state of her tennis shoes- her toes hung out the sides and the front. There was nearly nothing left. She got some nice ones as a replacement as was thrilled. Once again- needs.

The girls dresses were darling this year. Look at them. You can't deny it. I sadly haven't taken individual shots of them yet. I forgot. We do plan, however, when the baby is born to have a family picture with them in these dresses. It'll be darling. They ewed and awed about them. That is always good to hear when you aren't sure it you hit the mark.

We got ready for Sunday meetings and then did our traditional stop at Grandma Mary's grave to deliver and egg. I'll retell the story briefly. Each year at Easter time we go to my Moms grave a leave an Easter egg. 6 years ago Anne, thanks to a primary teacher, connected that as Jesus Christ resurrected so could Grandma Mary. It was a darling realization. We've continued this tradition each year. It gives our holiday good personal meaning. I love it.

Sunday meetings were nice. My favorite in Sacrament Meeting was dear Brother Fernly, some 90 years old, singing 'Jerusalem'. You've got to love that. He is a kind man with a voice, for a 90 year old, that will knock your socks off! Sunday did come with some sadness and special meaning. My good friend's Mom, Patty Elegante, passed away. What a difficult thing for him and his family. I reflected much on my own mothers passing and also on Christ's resurrection.

Easter evening we went for dinner at my parents, a short program by Dad and Lauradean, and also another hunt. It was nice to have time to talk to Jay and Tami's family. It is nice to have some time to just speak to those that, when in a crowd, you don't get to talk to too much. It was a pleasure.

We came home exhausted and ready for bed. It was a great holiday weekend and a nice vacation time for all of us on our Spring Break.

"I think that Las Vegas is my favorite country in the whole world", says Kate.

2011-04-20T19:59:00.002-06:00

We took a jaunt to Vegas. It was fast and fun, warm and sunny. Of course we hit our favorite The Bellagio and the Outlets- got our fill.

The girls loved the Chihuly exhibit, shop, and then the Bellagio gardens. How could you not?!

Yet most of all our hungry travels indulged in gelato. We went to the Bellagio's gelato shop and you would have thought that they hadn't eaten in days. They were starving- just enough walking and heat gave them some serious hunger. I have NEVER seen Kate and Hope enjoy ice cream this much and also be so freaking funny. It was hilarious to watch them. Kate said to Liz as soon as she got her gelato, "I think that Las Vegas is my favorite country in the whole world."

Zions

2011-04-20T19:50:00.001-06:00

Truly I think that all of our family is addicted to Zions. We love everything about it. It is just a beautiful space. We all enjoyed our trip there. The girls ran around, played in the sand, danced, explored, and Liz and I relaxed along their way. The Temple of Sinawava is still my favorite (next to 10 other sites). Yet this year there was this great waterfall coming down straight across from the Pulpit. Stunning.

Room 223 = Ghetto & Room 200 much better

2011-04-18T19:32:00.003-06:00

We headed to St. George on Tuesday morning. It was a good ride- 4 hours, zero whining or crying, light snacks, two stops, and 90+ ish miles per hour. It resulted in just what our family needed- warm air, sunshine, and the chance to get the infections out of our bodies. Liz, before leaving, contracted the most wicked sinus infection known to wo-man.

Hotels.com offered good rates and we opted for a stay at the Coronada Inn. I was hesitant for sure. I do believe that my family stayed there back in the late 80's or early 90's.We arrived and went to our room. Room 223 was a trash heap. On one of the drawers in the kitchenette it read something like this "Do not pull this drawer because it really isn't a drawer" and it was hanging on by a thread. The walls were super dingy with dirt and the rest of the place had this bad 1980's decorations (mauve and teal) that had not been washed since 1980. Liz and I tried to be good sports, but I couldn't think of staying there 4 days on Spring Break. I went to the Office. I asked for a refund and they said they had another room option. Directly above the Office there was a two bedroom suite. They told me that they would give it to me at no additional cost. Apparently they haven't remodeled 4 hotel rooms and they gave us that one because it was a 'bargain'. This is the first time hotels.com has failed me. We enjoyed our stay in the two bedroom 'suite'. It was clean, newly renovated, and far enough from room 223 to make sure that I didn't think about it.

We had opportunity, admits other travels, while in St. George to go to the temple grounds and also go and see Aunt Carol and Uncle Bill. They are the best to visit ever. They are hilarious and fun. No doubt two of my favorite people on earth. The girls love them too. They are constantly playing while there with Carol and just cuddle right up to her because they know she is Grandma Mary's sister. Aunt Carol has this amazing orchid. Seriously it has over 20 blooms and is around 10 years old. It is amazing. Truly my picture doesn't do it any sort of justice.

We really did enjoy going down. It was a needed break.

The Matter of Words by Adam Bateman

2011-04-18T15:51:00.012-06:00

We had a great chance to go and see The Matter of Words by Adam Bateman down at the MOA at BYU. Liz brought home a post card about the exhibit and we were excited about the tower of books we saw on the card. The card was amazing and seeing it in real life did not disappoint. Our attendees were- Liz, Anne, Jane, Kate, Hope, Clayton Minnick, Jessica Beus, and me. We love to head down to the MOA and see the newest cool and tag with Jessica.

There were over 4000 tons of books in this tower and his books speak to his art. A contemporary that uses 'Mondrain-like' compositions that jive as minimalist forms in modernism. Love it.

We also had fortune to see a few other artists. They were equally as fun, but just not as large of a composition. Vera Epling, a homeless women, with Harrell Fletcher, a contemporary artist, joined up. Vera, Fletcher discovered, was marking her Holy Bible in the most curious way. He saw an art in her code a code she only understands. It was very interesting to look at. Check it out below.

It also reminded me how thankful I am that 10 years ago I stopped marking my scriptures. The codes and patterns drive me absolutely crazy. I only have blank sets of scriptures. Though I do still think that Vera's code is rather interesting.

Next we discovered 'Healing 1' by Brian Knap. It is a 'life-like' behavior where you walk across a mat that has a unique organic design. When you walk across it you break up the design or 'hurt' or 'injure' it. Then it being 'life-like' it heals itself. It is a way that some are 'examining how biological or chemical models of molecular interact'.

Very fun to see. Very fun to play on. Very fun to think about. It is created by algorithms that are generated by a computer software.

Last we went and saw 'Three Mormon Towns' and the medium is photography all by Dorethea Lange. It was great. It focused on Torquerville (outside of Zions), Gunlock, and St. George. We found the art really appealing. It was amazing becuase some of the shots you could certainly tell were from the early 1950's but then there were those that you were shocked by that you would think were shot yesterday. It appeared in Times magazine in 1954. It was fun, while in St. George and Zions the next week, to look the scenery and think about Lange's shots from the 50's.

After all this art we went to the BYU Cremry on 9th and enjoyed three baskets of speciality fries- pepper, spicy, garlic, and then also plain. The kids had an ice cream and then we headed back to Sandy.

A sad tale....The Rose Hedge, the Ivy, and hay fever

2011-04-16T13:17:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I had a couple huge projects around the yard that took most of my attention- the taking down of the ivy off of our fence and weeding all of the myrtle vinca out of the rose hedge. Holy Cow! That was a fair amount of work. We actually feel that our rose hedge needs to be cut about 6 inches from the ground in the next month or so to avoid losing it all together. We've talked to almost all of our neighbors and we are all in agreement- to save it we must cut the dead out, see what is still really alive, replace what isn't alive, and then let it grow over the next couple of years. Additionally I'd like for it to wrap around the whole east side of the yard all the way down to the drive way in the front yard.

Not to mention, but to, my hay fever was out of control. I couldn't see, breathe, eat, or whatever. I swore I had the flu, yet I just had hay fever. Finally after two showers I was able to get to a point I could wheeze enough air into my body.

Funny thing after I got all of the myrtle vinca and ivy and dragged it all the way to the front curb I realized I had no way to get it out- no truck, not enough garbage cans, et cetera. I couldn't believe it. After I realized that Sandy City was having their clean up day I decided I needed to borrow someone's truck to haul it all to my Anne & Edwin's to have it taken away. Yet no one has a truck except Fred. (I hate borrowing from Fred because everyone, I mean everyone, borrows from him.) I sheepishly called on Sunday to borrow his truck. For some reason or another I thought that I could do it on Sunday- no big deal. Wrong! After he dropped off his truck I decided I couldn't do it on Sunday because it is the Sabbath, right? Right. So I waited until 12:30 AM to start my task. It was hilarious that I was yet again doing my mid-night yard work, but it worked. 4 truck loads dumped at Anne & Edwin's and I was done. However, I couldn't breathe again. I returned Fred's truck (which Katie calls a Girl Truck because it is a Ford Ranger) and then took two showers again to try and stop the insane sneezing.

All in all our yard looks really drab. No greenry on the cinderblock wall and no green rose stems to give privacy to our backyard.

We're going to have to get more creative....

Sleep over

2011-04-15T13:11:00.005-06:00

We had Luke, Kathryn, and Sarah Beus stay at our house over night. There was a lot of fun that was had. The girls had a blast with them here. We mainly stayed at home. The girls and Luke played from inside to outside. I think that the scenery for them changed about every half hour.

I don't believe we had a single fight that I can remember. It was nice. We were able to have homemade pizza Friday night. I took the older girls out for ice cream and fries at Hires Big 'H' which was lots of fun. It was nice to have some one on one time with Sarah and Kathryn, and also Anne and Jane. They were hilarious while we were out eating. It was like I was with 4 little adults. We covered all sorts of subjects. Ultimately we decided when they come to SLC again we will certainly be escaping for some fries and ice cream again.

The girls stayed up until about 2 am. I couldn't believe it when I went downstairs and saw them all wide eyed and bushy tailed. They are LIVE WIRES! I don't even know what they were doing but it was harmless and fun!

Saturday morning we took it slow and got some breakfast- waffles by Liz. I did yard work. And then we topped things off with Saturday Surprise from Mc Donald's.

Thanks for coming Sarah, Kathryn, and Lukie!

NovaGroup to Lendio

2011-04-12T20:40:00.003-06:00

For a little while I have been interviewing with a company called Lendio. I will be making a transition to that company on April 26th. It has been a difficult decision but we feel comfortable and happy with it. It will be hard to leave the NovaGroup- the friends that I've made are life long and I will miss them greatly. Certainly there are a couple that if I was able to work with them again in a new 'life' I would leap at the chance.

I hesitate in sharing this, but I've adopted this open position in life. Hopefully it will benefit someone sometime. I did have a good experience with faith on this change. To us it is a miracle. Suffice it to say there have been bumps in the road at NovaGroup, but a great learning experience. We have been praying for a good opportunity to come along and one did. I’ve interviewed off and on for the last four weeks. They said last Tuesday they would need three more weeks for further interviews and decision-makers to finalize things. Last Thursday evening I wanted for this opportunity to close quickly—as we have a baby coming, due to unusual activity at our company, et cetera I wanted it to move quickly. So I knelt in prayer and boldly asked for the hand of the Lord to solution things. After I felt an unending calm which I interpreted as reassurance and felt I needed to be patient. The next morning around 10 AM I received, within two minutes, a call, an email, and a text from the president of the company saying that they were ready to offer. We worked through a couple things and I accepted their offer.

So something new to do. This is exciting.

living space made a little more livable

2011-04-12T20:04:00.005-06:00

We continue to do date night and it becomes ever much more religious. We are simple goers- a small and light dinner, some walking, some talking, some kissing, some window shopping, and home. I can't imagine not having the weekly time with Liz out of the house and away from distractions. Truly it is a great thing to do.

Saturday led to changes and projects. We were able to get a new carpet for the front room that we found on a great deal. After searching, buying, returning a bad buy, and searching some more we found this gem of a carpet for the front room. We absolutely love it. The girls have started jumping from leaf to leaf and making great fun with it. Liz and I just stare at it because it is 'our style' of carpet. I think that it will lead to some slow changes around the rest of the house soon.

The domino effect occurred to then change Anne and Jane's very boring and ugly room. Their room is downstairs and our downstairs is all tile. (Something I detested for some time when we moved in until someone vomited then I grew to pseudo like it.) The rest of the basement, minus their room, is in a peach grey tile (which isn't something we love, but it is there and clean) and their room is in a 'delightful' brown tile. It is horrible and certainly the eye sore of the house. Thankfully, due to the change in the front room, we were able to take that white rug downstairs. We found a simple cube bookshelf, a no drawer desk , and a cute white chair to help add to their room. Next I plan to refinish their beds with a clear stain to keep with the light wood theme throughout the house. (P.S. We do hate light wood yet in small spaces I have learned it does make them look more open.) That summarized our Saturday. Minus a trip to the Dollar Store and a RS quilting activity for Liz. All in all it was worth it.

of late

2011-04-12T19:46:00.003-06:00

Last week we went to my Dad's for FHE. We had dinner and chit chat. It was nice. I also was able to receive a much needed Fathers Blessing. I do appreciate them. The girls were very funny while we were there. They had time to play around. Kate and Hope were excited to see the 'stuff' in the china closet of my Mom's. I told them about all of the nick knacks and they enjoyed that. They were impressed that their Grandma Mary could do such, as Kate said, 'crafty things'.

Conference weekend

2011-04-03T19:05:00.002-06:00

With the end of a difficult week (work silliness "I saw cat.", "I ____ saw _____ cat.", Liz's stitches, etc.) we gladly welcomed General Conference. We decided to take a picnic downtown and play around Temple Square.
We were able to take a peek at the new coolness at The Church History Library (Hawaiian church history artifacts) and enjoy the the funnies there. We picnicked, Gondolfos sandwiches) and then played around. We enjoyed the sunny weather. So warm!
We came home and played late into the night. If we don't listen to 'Party in the USA' and Despicable Me' at least four times per car ride it isn't an event. The girls and I took and after 10 o'clock walk which was great.
Saturday's conference was great. I particularly enjoyed the first counselor in the Primary Presidency's talk on children, all of the First Presidencies talks in Priesthood, and Brother Gibson of the Young Mens General Presidency on priesthood keys. On and the one on pain- wonderfully said.
It snowed 4 inches! Glad we enjoyed the sun Friday and Saturday. Sunday was stellar as well! I loved Elder Scottsdale talk on marriage and certainly can gain from his excellent example. Also I adored Elder Bednar's talk on recognizing the direction of The Holy Ghost. Oh and Elder Robbins talk "be and do". Oh and.... So many others! Now it's time to put the newly learned things into practice!

6:02 AM

2011-03-29T06:04:00.003-06:00

This last week our family has started waking up by another 1/2 hour earlier (and Liz and I again at 5 AM). It has been a great change. I have that much more time to get up and work out, the girls and I can read scriptures with them, some stories, get ready, have family prayer, they sit down for breakfast and I can dash out the door to work by 7 AM. Our routine is much the same, with time for stories added, but I feel a thousand times better having that extra time with Liz and the girls.

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthily and wise."

'Despicable Me' by Hope

2011-03-23T19:20:00.000-06:00

Hope sings this all day long. It is hilarious!

Lucky me

2011-03-09T13:21:00.003-07:00

I'm not quite sure how this has worked out but my girls are all turning into Daddy's Girls- not one here for a time or another for another time. It's amazing. I'm learning more and more their needs and feel my personal relationship is growing with each of them. Truly I only hope I can keep this up!

Liz

2011-03-09T13:21:00.001-07:00

I have this amazing wife that has weathered a lot this last couple of weeks. She's truly amazing!

She had her two spots Basel Cell skin cancer removed from her right temples on her face. The procedure took about 12 hours from start to finish with interludes of testing the sections cut out to ensure the cancer was gone. She had it all done at TrueSkin in Sandy and I'm amazed at their care, concern, and speciality in the MOES method.

Here are some shots of her:

After the first cutting with her first pressurized bandage

After the second cutting

When the third cuts were completed. Those are larger than quarter sized holes. Consider that the top of the cancer showing wasn't more than the size of a half of a dime.

Here is after 3 hours of prep and stitching. The doctor had drawings of how to stretch the skin. Please note how far up that they had to go to compensate for the covering if the removed areas.

Here she is resting after 12 hours at home.

Remarkably through all of this she is 6 months pregnant and still has yrt to complain. What a trooper!

I'll have to post some of the healing shots when I'm back from LA this next week. Also she has two more spots to have removed on the eyebrow and on her back next Tuesday.

We've had such wonderful amounts of help from SO MANY PEOPLE in the last week- we're truly blessed!

My co-workers gave Liz these flowers- what kindness!

Willow Lake Snowshoeing

2011-03-09T13:20:00.001-07:00

Liz is currently serving in Young Womens with the Mia-Maids. She has wanted for the last several months to take them snowshoeing. Well she got her wish! We all went up to Willow Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon and had such a great time. For many of the young women and the leaders it was their first time trying it out. It was so fun!

In total there were 20 that attended- 12 girls and 8 leaders. It was beautiful to go. I love taking people who aren't doing many winter sports because it is fun to see them realize how great it is to be out and how you aren't freezing or anything!

We went about two miles or so in total and the girls did wonderfully.

There is simply nothing like the beauty of the outdoors, the quiet of winter, seeing people exceed their own limiting expectations, and the company of some of those you care about.

At the end as I was removing cute Libby's snowshoes she just kept repeating, "I made it...I made it" surprised at her own self!

Beus Family Dinner & Family Night

2011-03-09T13:19:00.001-07:00

Janey in early January called Grandpa Beus and requested to have the 3rd week family dinner at our house- he agreed and we scheduled for February. What a cute girl. She said it was time to have everyone at our house- she was ready to host!

We were excited Nd decided to make beef stroganoff with real roast- delicious coupled with all of the other pot luck additions! We had the garage ll set up still as the girls winter "carpeted" playroom which I know insist in calling "Tne Multi-Purpose Room" (still doubling as a family room, playroom, dining hall, work area, and a garage too)! I love that it is used well and suits our current needs.

With each family dinner tradition has it we have family night. Katie organized it and it was fun to have quick thought of gospel topics and kids talents. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Liz and I felt that the evening went really well. What a pleasure to host! Thanks Janey!

Minnick Family Dinner

2011-03-09T13:18:00.001-07:00

The January Minnick Family Dinner was at our house this go round. We setted on Chinese food for the main dish- egg rolls and ham fried rice (another of Lizzy's specialities). It was delicious!

Sadly some could come because of sickness or scheduling conflicts. Poor Jennifer was just getting out of the hospital from pneumonia!

The dinner moved quickly and cousins and everyone were able to reconnect- some had to run home, etc. We did have a great chance to talk for a good while with Russ and Jimmy's families. The kids were able to play long and hard (Jonah and William) with our girls. It was such fun to have them.

It's amazing how everyone is growing and developing- it is a pleasure to watch and see how they adapt and how they are bonded to long held values and beliefs.

Sadly I didn't take pictures! Silly me! So I added a picture of Mom and Dad. Classic shot!

Test

2011-03-06T15:08:00.001-07:00

Location:S Capella Way,Sandy,United States

The Lord Providing, Protecting, and then Giving Deliverance

2011-03-06T09:40:00.003-07:00

The Lord Providing, Protecting, and then Giving Deliverance

Based upon our faithfulness and willingness to see ‘the path’—the Lord’s way—we can shelter ourselves in His ability to provide, protect, and deliver us.

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

—Matthew 11:28-29

“…But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”

—1 Nephi 1:20

Providing

-1 Nephi 16:9-17

-1 Nephi 16:17-24

-Alma 37: 38-47

How has the Lord uniquely provided for you? And for your family? And for those who are around you?

Protecting

-The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, paragraphs starting with “At length the time arrived…” & “I soon found out…”

-Helaman 5:20-30

-D&C 35:14

-2 Kings 6 (16:17)

How has the Lord protected you? And your family? And those who are around you?

Deliverance

-Alma 7:11-14

-Alma 14: 23-28

-Luke 4:16-21

How has the Lord delivered you? And your family? And those who are around you?

Meet Baby Minnick due to arrive June 12th, 2011

2011-02-10T16:20:00.002-07:00

Meet Baby Minnick due to arrive June 12th, 2011.

Texting for Seniors

2011-02-10T09:45:00.001-07:00

TEXTING FOR SENIORS

Since more and more Seniors are texting and tweeting there
appears to be a need for a STC (Senior Texting Code). If you
qualify for Senior Discounts this is the code for you.

Please pass this on to your CHILDREN and Grandchildren so
they can understand your texts.

ATD: At The Doctor's

BFF: Best Friend Fainted

BTW: Bring The Wheelchair

BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth

CBM: Covered By Medicare

CGU: Can't get up

CUATSC: See You At The Senior Center

DWI: Driving While Incontinent

FWB: Friend With Beta Blockers

FWIW: Forgot Where I Was

FYI: Found Your Insulin

GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!

GHA: Got Heartburn Again

HGBM: Had Good Bowel Movement

IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?

LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out

LOL: Living On Lipitor

LWO: Lawrence Welk's On

OMMR: On My Massage Recliner

OMSG: Oh My! Sorry, Gas.

ROFL... CGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing... And Can't Get Up

TTYL: Talk To You Louder

WAITT: Who Am I Talking To?

WTFA: Wet The Furniture Again

WTP: Where's The Prunes?

WWNO: Walker Wheels Need Oil

GGLKI: (Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In)

Oblations

2011-01-26T21:21:00.007-07:00

I can't begin to explain that each time I look on my computer and this blog pulls up as the home page on our computer how poorly I feel that I'm not updating it. I truly need to get on this yet time isn't on my side. I've typed twice the advise "the wisdom in life is the elimination of the non-essentials.." by Lin Yu Tang today and truly I feel that I've eliminated my journaling on this blog. This shouldn't be considered a 'non-essential' considering my aspiration to get all of our family blogging on here to produce a online database of experiences.

Thankfully I've held onto snippets of needed updates in the last two months on FaceBook in my status updates- enough hopefully to stir the memory. I feel that it will. Nothing like back dating posts.

The last few months I have felt much like I've been in a grinder yet I'm learning a lot, being tested, and showing my strengths and weaknesses alike. I appreciate seeing the hand of the Lord in what I'm trying to accomplish and the way that He supports me via family, friends, employers, and also interventions.

My wife and children still remain so centralized in my thoughts and actions thankfully. I have had to work many long hours which has taken me from the home yet I've found that it is refreshing to always see their happy faces and willingness not to get bitter about my endless hours. Liz truly is divine- certainly above par and meant for a better world.

In many cases I've decided to live without complaint- moving on from what I could sit and dwell on. It has been healthy and a good perspective. I've found that sometimes I do feel that I'm denying reality, but oftentimes thereafter realizing that I am just seeing things more clearly with a better perspective. I look at those around me, examples of goodness and willingness to God, and find that I am stunned by their long time devotions and oblations. I gain from their examples and wisdom.

I strongly feel that day by day as I'm open and willing to listen and ask for clarity that I'm given it. Just last week I was reading in my patriarchal blessing and thankfully got an answer to a problem I'd long been looking to resolve in my head. I've since been filled with testimony of direct and personal revelation, and certainly appreciation to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

I feel older and directed- a scary thing to admit because I don't want it to bite me back.

I remember a statement by my mission president, President Monson, when he said (and I paraphrase), "Elder Minnick the best part of my day sometimes is when I close my eyes at night and know that I have a Savior and also that I have a family sealed to me for eternity that loves and cares for me- and that makes it all worth it." I feel the exactly same.

This was a 'me' post. I'm forcing myself to hit 'publish post'.

Dearest Children, Holy Angels

2010-10-31T14:19:00.003-06:00

Today I had the opportunity to stay home with Jane and Kate. They were sick, Liz had to teach, and I got to stay home from Church. It was nice to be with them. We did some small surprises for Liz and then rested together.

They are really cute girls even when they are sick. Kate and Jane did some small surprises for me- cleaned Kate/Hope's closet, gave kisses, and helped me straighten my shoes.

I then had opportunity to go to Sacrament Meeting at the Alta Heights Ward with Edwin, Anne, Cindy, Carson, and Tilly. It was a great meeting. Cindy, Edwin and Anne sang 'Dearest Children God is Near You' which was done very nicely.

La Cena: Milenesas, pure de papas y romalacha. Divino!

2010-10-22T14:40:00.002-06:00

Hope and I chose to make Milenesas, pure de papas (mashed potatoes) y romalacha for dinner today. It was sent from heaven! We enjoyed making it so much together.

I'm actually writing this blog post about a week later. I just finished all of the left over maleness two days ago. I think in total I ate about 10! It was amazing!!

Brian's Home Made Donuts

2010-10-22T14:33:00.000-06:00

Brian Beus is a master of fun decorations and cooking. Each October, since last year, he has invited family and friends to eat lots of donuts at his house in Heber. This year, thankfully, I had no protein diet to make me feel guilty. Also I had starved myself all day to make sure that I could eat as many as necessary to fill my appetite. We went up at about 7:00 PM and then enjoyed everyones company and the conversations were good. Our kids played with cousins until about 11ish and then we were off to our house in Sandy. The thing shown above is the roller for the donuts. Amazing!

Phone Upgrade

2010-10-20T14:29:00.001-06:00

I just recently 'had' to upgrade my iPhone. Luckily I NovaGroup, in part, paid for it. I won a iPod, which I've spoken of before, for doing a good job. My iPhone had been functioning so slowly I put the funds from Best Buy towards a new iPhone. It was a good decision.

I came home and synced it up. I had the misfortune of it syncing every text message I've received for over 2 1/2 years. While it was annoying to delete each one individually it was funny to recount all of the experience that lead to those text messages.

Some highlights:

-Out of town trips and pictures

-Smack talk with brothers

-Jokes from friends

-Grocery lists

-Baby announcements

Emma Philema & Dorcas

2010-10-19T06:19:00.003-06:00

Dear Ancestors,

You chose two bad names- Emma Philema and Dorcas.

-Doug

PS I'm mostly sorry I laughed out-loud about it- even in the temple.

Last evening we went to the Temple to do sealings with our Elders. It was nice, not a huge showing, but that was expected and regardless was very nice. The Spirit was there (and perhaps is why I feel so badly.) While doing proxy for some names the names came up of Emma Philema which gave everyone a good smile because it is just a funny combination. I was smiling, happy, and very tired already- which never are a good combination for me. The three together give me the 'Happy Fats' (un-controllable giggling). Then after a few minutes proxy work was being done for a Dorcas. I was helping do the work this time and I started cracking up. I couldn't stop laughing. It was bad. Everyone else seemed to maintain their composure. The Sealer, Brother Vawdry, once he completed he did let out a good laugh which made me feel so much better.

I appreciated being able to go to the temple with Liz. It was so nice to sit and relax there with her. There is no place like the temple- except home. Quiet, calming, relaxing, et cetera. I'm thankful for these two places of refuge, but more thankful for the people I am there with (home= family and at times friends, temple= family & friends). I can honestly say that I, while at work or play, long to be home.

Simple Sunday

2010-10-17T17:11:00.005-06:00

Today has been great. Sadly though Liz is sick-sinus infection. She is almost over it thankfully. Today our Sacrament Meeting was focused on missionary work. We heard from Brother Smith and Brother Pretruchi in the Alta Heights Ward. Smith spoke about he and his wife's Salt Lake Inner City Mission. They served in a Spanish branch. He spoke so well about it. I appreciated his perspective and insights. It was special. Then Brother Pretruchi related the saving of the Chilean Miners to the way Christ saves us.

We came home and had some nachos and then I napped for 2 hours. Divine. Kate and Hope joined me. Liz, Anne, and Jane basked in the fall sun on the patio.

We had Beus Family Dinner this evening. It is Annalyn's birthday tomorrow so we celebrated tonight with an enormous apple pie made by Brian. Amazing!
We sang to Annalyn and with the Beus clan you have like 4 choruses with play on the word Birthday to things like 'Bethuthday'. Annayln with her infamous vocal range always sings as high as humanily possible hitting a note someone screeching and squealing. I caught this shot of her tonight.

Also this was a priceless shot of Fred and his fashion statement.

Temple Grandin

2010-10-17T15:52:00.003-06:00

Last evening we watched an excellent movie about Temple Grandin. I truly enjoyed the movie for many reasons but especially these few points:

1. The mothers battle autistic ignorance and her tenacity .

2. Temples viewpoint of doors .

3. The reminder of the individuality of Gods children and how all have contributions- autistic people are not less.

4. Clare Danes did amazingly well.

5. The story-boarding and visual design was stunning.

All in all this hits the great flick list. Its in my Top 10.

Saturday is surely a day to play

2010-10-16T17:03:00.000-06:00

We specialize in not doing chores on Saturday. If I can say this without lightning striking 'Saturday is as sacred as Sunday' to our family. We play all day.

Our day was light. I did do some gardening, but actually enjoyed it. We then went and saw Aaron Minnick up in the hospital. All the girls were let into the PICU to see him. That was fun. Because we were already downtown we went to Temple Square and enjoyed a tour of the Beehive House. The girls really appreciated this tour. That house is enormous and beautiful. Consistently I am amazed at the handy work of our pioneers. See the picture above of Brigham Young's formal dining. The walls are not wallpaper- they are hand painted.

We came home Liz napped and I went adventuring with all the girls on bikes. We did some light shopping while we were on our ride to Maceys and got the most important thing- ice cream. We came home and enjoyed a quiet evening just relaxing and went on a walk.

We were able to take dinner to two families in our ward- Lauritzens and Clydes. Dave Lauritzen had shoulder surgery. Clydes had their baby Addy (who is darling). On our walk we also got to see the Armstrong's baby Isabella.

I love relaxing with family. Nothing better, truly.

Hair Cuts- Thanks Aunt Annie

2010-10-14T16:28:00.001-06:00

I'm rather particular, as any parent is, about the cutting of hair. I've typically made us wait, what seems to many, an eternity to get hair cuts. Aunt Annie was willing to trim the girls hair and so we took them on over on Thursday evening. Anne and Jane had their normal trim yet it was Kate and Hope's first hair cuts.

I really appreciated Annie doing this for us. I think that we will just keep it up. It is a good time for us to see her and have some time with her. We certainly miss seeing her more. We do love her.

Kate loved her hair cut.

Hope wasn't as sure as Kate.

Love you Annie!

Aaron Minnick (Dan's boy): Lifeflighted up to Primary's for asthma attack. Poor guy! Stable now and on the road to recovery.

2010-10-14T16:03:00.004-06:00

I have these funny impressions from time to time. I am going to start calling it 'Hospital Radar' with Danny's family. Truly its the Holy Ghost speaking to me (at times I wonder if Mom is speaking to me too, which isn't off base.). Early on Wednesday at work I felt strongly that Dan's family wasn't doing well, yet had heard nothing. I was walking from building to building at work- the impression came quick and it was strong. Then it left.

I continued on with the day. I noted to talk to Danny. I came home that evening and we had some random things along the way to deal with- a small basement flood, some Church assignments, et cetera. That evening I went into my room to get into bed. I laid down and knew I wasn't going to sleep.

The phone rang. I knew instantly it was dealing with Dan's family. I went and answered it. Danny told me Aaron had suffered a really bad asthma attack and would be soon on his way by ambulance to Primary Childrens Medical Center. I got up and got dressed. Dan asked, since he wouldn't be able to leave home, if I and another of my brothers would go and give Aaron a blessing. Through a series of phone calls I got ahold of Jimmy first. He and Marla sped up, picking me up, and we went to the hospital. On the way we learned that Aaron had been Lifeflighted up there because his lungs just were reacting strangely.

We arrived and then Jen did as well. We saw Aaron finally. He is okay and a trooper. He is still in PICU at Primarys. He's received the attention he needs.

I got to work Thursday tired as could. I told Janay why and she mentioned that her Mom does the PR for LifeFlight- so her fun Mom got this great swag for Aaaron.