All Grown Up

The first night in our new house was Saturday night. We had bought Ada a big girl bed from Ikea earlier that day and decided to put it together instead of the crib. It was kind of spur of the moment planning, because we hadn't talked to Ada at all about sleeping in a big girl bed. We figured that a new house and new bedroom were good times to also introduce a new bed. Ada slept great, she didn't get out of bed once and she just looks so cute all tucked into her new bed.When Alison went to get her up Sunday morning she was just sitting in bed talking to herself waiting for mommy. Just like she would have done if she was in the crib. I don't think she realizes that she could get out of bed. Aren't we lucky?
When I went into check on her before going to bed this is how she was sleeping. I heard somebody say once that they're still babies until they stop sleeping with their butts up in the air.
Hopefully, Ada will go down for naps in her new bed as easy as she's gone down to bed the last two days.

Winner, Winner Burrito Dinner

Yeah, so I totally just won 20 burritos from Chipotle. It's one of those things where you drop in your business card and can win lunch for your office. I think I may tell them that I work from home (with 19 other people). While Alison and I both liked Chipotle, we would both prefer Cafe Rio. I guess you can't be too picky.

Random Thoughts

There's a bunch of stuff on my mind right now - but most of it will have to wait for another post. As Al mentioned on her blog, we took possession of our new house. So far it's just as fantastic as we hoped everything would be. I met with the seller on Monday at the house because there were a few things that he wanted to show me. He just graduated from the U in electrical engineering and wired the house just as I would have (over the top and out of control). Things are going to be good. We started moving our stuff in yesterday and I also painted the master bedroom. We hope that we'll have time to paint a few other rooms before we get all moved in. We'll see what we can get done.

I was reading on ksl.com this morning and came across the article "Dealership built with environment in mind." I took issue with the following quote:

He says besides the initial costs, the building has also created some unique challenges when it comes to getting permits from the city, especially when it comes to use of the cisterns and current water laws. He says he was told Salt Lake's water laws were written in 1809. It may now time to change them he says.

Anybody else see any problems? I've never trusted anything on ksl because they are the "Utah's weather, traffic and Cougar station." This just solidifies that my mistrust ;).

Alison and I saw the following video on the news the other night. What a fantastic catch. I've since heard that it's a Gatorade commercial. Either way, impressive.

http://view.break.com/524970

Lastly, huge Birthday wishes go out to Alison today. Love ya!

Twitter

With the impending birth of my second daughter, I have decided to set up a twitter feed. From the description on the twitter website:

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Basically, if you can't get enough tysqui in your life, then this is just the way to get it. You want more cowbell? I've got more cowbell. You may have also noticed that I added my tweets to the top of my blog. Feel free to follow my tweets here (you can even subscribe to my tweets RSS feed - can it get any better?).

New Hotmail Ad

Check out the new ad that appeared at the top of my hotmail inbox earlier tonight (click on the picture if you want to see a bigger version). Now I remember why I use hotmail and not yahoo or gmail as my primary account. The Church is true!

Monday Photo - Guess Who?

Monday Night Football

Alison and I went to our first Monday Night Football Game. You may doubt that we really were able to accomplish that, but you would be forgetting about Utah’s very own Arena Football team The Utah Blaze. The Blaze play their home games at the former Delta Center. The videoboard is raised up a bit, the chairs are pushed back a bit, nets and goalposts are placed in each endzone and the turf is placed over the basketball court. The field is the same size as a standard hockey rink (65’ x 200’). The actual playing field is 50 yards long with 8 yard endzones.

Our seats were the cheapest they’ve got but we lucked out and got great seats. We were just 4 rows up in the upper deck a little into one corner of the arena. Both Alison and I enjoyed the game especially because it was a very close game going into the last few minutes. It took a few minutes to get a better grasp of the rules. We’ve watched a few Blaze games on TV, but we’re still novices when it comes to the AFL. Luckily the Blaze ended up beating the LA Avengers and coming one win closer to making the playoffs.

Have or Have Not

We saw this on Ben and Jenn Iverson's blog earlier today and thought that it would be fun to do for ourselves. This is a list of 200 things that we have or have not done. If you want to copy and do this yourself, you can just bold the items you have done. Since there are two of us, we're color-coding. Here's the key:

Pink -- Alison has done it
Blue -- Tyler has done it
Green -- We have both done it
Black -- Neither of us have done it

Let's get started:
200 Haves and Have Nots!
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run (I was 6" short of hitting a grand slam - It's true, I swear)
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales (See this post)
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone skydiving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover (I have less than 100 pages to go!)
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name (well, just my last name!)
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream (Once we close on our house at least)
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring (I wore a sweet mood watch)
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant (I rode a camel in Russia)
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (In mini-golf)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment (we're unsure on this one)
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books (More like 5 dozen)
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma (both)
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a Neighbor Jane Payne newsletter

There's still so much to do in life. We'd better get going.

toodleloo.

Changes (3)

One other small change that we're experience is that we are in the midst of purchasing our first home. We've been a little reluctant to post anything about it because we don't want to curse ourselves or anything. We had no idea how involved purchasing a home really is. Luckily, we have an incredible agent (who we would gladly recommend to anybody and everybody).

The first time that we met our agent was the Saturday before Memorial Day. She had set up visits to 5 houses in North Salt Lake and Woods Cross. Alison and I both fell in love with the third house that we toured. By the end of the day we were consumed. The only thing that we could think about was "the house" and what life would be like living in it. We slept on it Saturday night, prayed about it and by Sunday night we let our agent know that we wanted to put an offer on the house.

We submitted our offer to the seller on Memorial Day and then accepted their counteroffer the next day. Thus began the long process of getting a loan, appraisal, home inspection, title report, etc. So far everything has gone so smoothly that we are confident God is watching out for us and helping us along our path. Hopefully, everything will continue to work out as it should and on June 23rd, we will take possession of our first house.

The home is a modified split level of almost 2100 square feet. It was built in 2005 and has 2 full bathrooms (with 1 roughed in in the basement). The kitchen is large and open with a small family/dining room upstairs and a big family room in the basement. A couple of things that I'm really excited for is that there is a home security system, the basement family room is wired for surround sound and the whole house is extensively wired with Cat5, telephone and cable. The biggest downside is that the yard is pretty small. That's the tradeoff for only having a 10-15 minute commute to work (which will be great). Rest assured, you'll be hearing a lot more about this.

Changes (2)

Probably the second biggest change that we're experiencing is that I've recently started working full-time for my new employer Spectrum Engineers. I signed an employment contract with them about a month ago and I got my first salary paycheck this last weekend. I think that we're going to be able to get used to this.

Can I just tell you how much I love my job? Every day I get to do something different. Just this week I've been down to UVSC for some punchlisting on an almost completed Student Life Center (dedicated by Governor Huntsman yesterday), my boss then took me to lunch to Braza Grill (a lot like Rodizio Grill) and I finished up the day working on a Salt Lake County Solar Study.

Yesterday I got a quick job from an engineer in Texas. He needed a licensed Utah engineer (my boss, not me) to run the calculations and sign off on them. I ran the short circuit analysis and prepared a quick report and collected the whole fee (I won't tell you how much I made on that job, but let me just say that I was paid about 1 1/2 weeks of an intern's wages for 3 hours of work).

Today I spent the morning running some more calculations for the County report before riding up to one of the former Iomega buildings in Roy with another engineer (who also bought me lunch). Our client is going to remodel the building and turn it into a big call center. I field-checked the building and we attempted to determine the existing electrical service and equipment in order to begin our design.

The biggest downside to the job is definitely the hours. I've been working from 7:30-8:00 to 5:30-6:30 every day. I knew this job would require more hours than most other engineering jobs. There is so much for me to learn to get up to speed and I want to learn it all as quickly as possible. I really, really do love my job.

Changes (1)

Maybe the biggest change that's happening in our lives right now is my choice of a different blog template. I've been using that other green template since I started this blog on June 24, 2004. I'm not sure if I like this layout or look any better than my old look. I'd love to hear what you think about it. In fact, I just may throw a poll on here (don't think that I don't want to read your comments though). Here goes nothing!

Monday Photo

This is Ada's face after eating one of Bertie Bott's jelly beans in January. Unfortunately for her it was rotten egg flavored.