Rupprecht Blog

Kansas State Senate Prayer

2009-12-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

Bishop Richard C. Edgley of the Presiding Bishopric shared the following in the Daybreak Stake Conference last week:

The following prayer was offered in the Kansas State Senate on January 23, 1996 by Pastor Joe Wright:

Heavenly Father, We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ''Woe to those who call evil good,'' but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that; we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism; We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism; We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle; We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery; We have neglected the needy and called it self preservation; We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare; We have killed our unborn and called it choice; We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable; We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem; We have abused power and called it political savvy; We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition; We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of this state and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will.

I ask in in the name of your Son, The Living Savior, Jesus Christ

The Brave Little Soul

2009-06-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

http://sadiehuish.blogspot.com

Not too long ago in Heaven, there was a little soul who took wonder in observing the world. She especially enjoyed the love she saw there, and often expressed this joy with God. One day, however, the little soul was sad, for on this day she saw suffering in the world. She approached God and sadly asked, “Why do bad things happen; why is there suffering in the world?” God paused for a moment and replied, "Little soul, do not be sad, for the suffering you see unlocks the love in people’s hearts.” The little soul was confused. “What do you mean?” she asked. God replied, “Have you not noticed the goodness and love that is the offspring of that suffering? Look at how people come together, drop their differences and show their love and compassion for those who suffer. All their other motivations disappear and they become motivated by love alone.” The little soul began to understand and listened attentively as God continued, “The suffering soul unlocks the love in people’s hearts much like the sun and the rain unlock the flower within the seed. I created everyone with endless love in their heart, but unfortunately most people keep it locked up and hardly share it with anyone. They are afraid to let their love shine freely, because they are afraid of being hurt. But a suffering soul unlocks that love. I tell you this - it is the greatest miracle of all. Many souls have bravely chosen to go into the world and suffer - to unlock this love – to create this miracle - for the good of all humanity." Just then the little soul got a wonderful idea and could hardly contain herself. With her wings fluttering, bouncing up and down, the little soul excitedly replied, "I am brave; let me go! I would like to go into the world and suffer so that I can unlock the goodness and love in people’s hearts! I want to create that miracle!" God smiled and said, "You are a brave soul, I know, and thus I will grant your request. But even though you are very brave you will not be able to do this alone. I have known since the beginning of time that you would ask for this and so I have carefully selected many souls to care for you on your journey. Those souls will help you create your miracle; however they will also share in your suffering. Two of these souls are most special and will care for you, help you, and suffer along with you, far beyond the others. They have already chosen a name for you.” God and the brave little soul shared a smile, and then embraced. In parting, God said, “Do not forget little soul that I will be with you always. Although you have agreed to bear the pain, you will do so through my strength. And if the time should come when you feel that you have suffered enough, just say the word, think the thought, and you will be healed.” Thus, at that moment, the brave little soul was born into the world, and through her suffering and God’s strength, she unlocked the goodness and love in people’s hearts. For so many people dropped their differences and came together to show their love. Priorities became properly aligned. People gave from their hearts. Those that were always too busy found time. Many began new spiritual journeys – some regained lost faith – many came back to God. Parents hugged their children tighter. Friends and family grew closer. Old friends got together and new friendships were made. Distant family reunited, and every family spent more time together. Everyone prayed. Peace and love reigned. Lives changed forever. It was good. The world was a better place. The miracle had happened. God was pleased.

Update

2009-04-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

It certainly has been awhile since we last posted! Lots to catch up on! Life has been busy, as always.

Family: We took an Easter break trip to southern Utah. We stopped at Zions National Park for a couple days (beautiful!) and hiked around. We then continued on to Las Vegas where we spent easter weekend; went to church with my sister and her family, and had a BBQ.

James: Stays very busy with work; not too much travel recently. Is slowly learning the guitar, and has picked up biking as a new hobby to help stay in shape.

Michelle: Has finally fallen victim to scrapbooking. Is doing a great job organizing our family history, and the whole family has had a wonderful time looking at old photos, videos, etc.

Justine: Continues to excel and progress in dance. She has had several competitions, and her team does very well. Loves being in Young Women's and adores her leaders. She is growing up fast. She is very independent, and has lots of friends. She doesn't seem to need to have friends around all the time. She is very confident and secure, and is comfortable with her family. She does have a teasing streak like her dad, though.

Emilie: Has moved on to baseball, and loves to play! Her true love is going to be basketball, I think. We bought her a hoop recently, and she begs to play Jr. Jazz. Who knows? Maybe Emilie and Rylee Holmes will be running the Lady Jags backcourt one day. C'mon Stacy...lets get Rylee going! :)

Emilie taught me a great lesson the other day. We were over at the Sandy park watching cousin Austin play baseball. We wandered over to the skate park and were having fun watching all the kids skate, bike, blade, etc. After a few minutes, we started to head back and passed some boys playing b-ball without shirts on. She immediately turned her head and said "I am not going to watch those dudes with no shirts on!" A few seconds later, one of the boys made a comment about smoking, and she immediately covered her ears. She had made some pre-determined decisions about how she was going to respond in those situations. She is a strong little spirit!

Maddie: Is a little Justine. Loves to dance, since, color, and is overall a happy little girl! She is excited to start kindergarten next fall.

Our bishop shared a scripture in Welfare Council today...D&C 6:36-37. It talks about trusting the Lord and his atonement. I really felt the Spirit as he taught. Alma taught that Christ experienced all, so that he would know how to succor us if we turn to Him. It has helped me to remember that I need to rely on Him as I face decisions and challenges in my life. As Elder Holland so beautifully taught in General Conference: He walked the road alone so that we would not have to. I love Bishop Woodruff...he is humble and truly cares for our ward members.

Christ-like Love, Through the eyes of a 6-year old

2009-02-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a week. Being sick for the last 6 days certainly hasn't been much fun. Tonight I am keenly aware of how blessed I really am. I am healthy...my kids are all healthy and happy...I have a wonderful wife who teaches me and supports me in all that I do. A kidney stone is no walk in the park, but overall I feel very blessed. My Bishop has come by twice, his counselors, as well the EQ Presidency. And many friends!

Last week, in the midst of my suffering, I found this sticky note attached to my dresser:

This is a note left by my 6-year old daughter, Emilie, last week while I was sick. Now, over last week or so my kids have only seen me either moaning/cringing in pain, or in a Percoset-induced haze on the couch! Needless to say, I have not been a ton of fun to be around. No bedtime stories, no sitting on dad's lap, really no interaction at all. So when I saw Emilie's note, it was hard because I had been so miserable I couldn't interact with my family in a normal way. I get very grumpy when I get sick. I look back with guilt, wondering...even as I was so sick, could I have done anything better? But Emilie's heart emulated that of the Savior...she loved me "even when I was sick". Even when I am not at my best, my 6-year old daughter sees through the "muck" and loves me for who I am.

One of the most cherished lessons that I have ever experienced!

Kidney Stone is OUT!

2009-02-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

Had quite the week! Things started off innocently enough on Thursday night with a trip up to Spokane with Carl to go see a prospect. On the way from the airport to the hotel, I developed a very intense pain in my lower abdominal flank. It continued to worsen, so shortly after checking into our hotel, we headed to the ER. After a CT scan, a kidney stone was diagnosed. They prescribed some pain and nausea meds, and sent me on my way. I returned to SLC the next day and started to wait things out; these stones usually pass in a few days. After a few days of suffering (the pain meds did help) and throwing up, we headed back to the ER. They recommended a Urologist, who I went to see on Monday. They recommended that I continue to wait it out. Then, this morning, after the pain increased even more (as if that were possible) and more vomiting, I went back in and they decided to go in and get the stone via a procedure called a Ureteroscopy. They basically go up the wrong way down that one-way street, through the uretha, bladder, and into the ureter and grab the stone. The procedure went well; and, it was a good thing they did it. My kidney and bladder were in pretty bad shape from the blockage, and the stone, though only 3mm in size, wasn't going anywhere...it was lodged pretty good. They left a stent in place in the ureter to assist in drainage. I actually feel so much better without all that back pressure on my kidney. 5 days of that was enough for me!

Preparing for an unpleasant precedure, but happy to be getting the stone out!!!

Update

2009-01-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

The new year has started off with a bang!

Dominican Republic: Michelle and I have been invited to attend the company trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It's an all-expenses paid trip that my company does for the sales teams that exceed their sales quota each year. About 1/2 the company gets to go each year. We will be there Feb. 25th - March 1st. Well, maybe it isn't all the way free...so far we have had to spend $400 on passports. The last time I was out of the country was my mission (can you believe it? OK, Mexico, but that doesn't really count). Here is the agenda for the trip:

Wednesday - Take the red-eye to Atlanta, then to DR

Thursday - Snorkeling at an offshore reef; ziplining through the tropical forest

Friday - Deep sea fishing; ride 4-wheelers through the forest

Saturday - Hang out at the beach ALL DAY

Sunday - Fly home

Michelle has never been out of the country, so she is very excited! She served her mission in Oklahoma, so she stayed stateside.

Last night Justine had 8 or her friends over for her 12th birthday party. We took them all to see Inkheart; then we came home for pizza and they did a murder-mystery: Death of a Teen Idol.

Tonight, as I pondered my Sunday School lesson, a thought came to my mind. It was a quote given by Carlfred Broderick, a prominent member of the church in the mid to late 20th century:

The term "savior on Mount Zion" is ordinarily reserved for those engaged in vicarious work. Truly, Saints who selflessly devote themselves to genealogical and temple work deserve the title. They perform Christlike service in lovingly opening the gates of exaltation to others who without their work would not have that opportunity.

But I believe that the term might also be applied to another group of the Saints. These have been called to sacrifice for the sake of saving the living, often of their own household.

Children need not merely replicate the sins of their fathers, but that each generation is held accountable for its own choices. [Ezekiel 18:2-4]

Indeed, my experience in various church callings and in my profession as a family therapist has convinced me that God actively intervenes in some destructive lineages, assigning a valiant spirit to break the chain of destructiveness in such families. Although these children may suffer innocently as victims of violence, neglect, and exploitation, through the grace of God some find the strength to “metabolize” the poison within themselves, refusing to pass it on to future generations. Before them were generations of destructive pain; after them the line flows clear and pure. Their children and children’s children will call them blessed.

In suffering innocently that others might not suffer, such persons, in some degree, become as “saviors on Mount Zion” by helping to bring salvation to a lineage...”

Last week, Michelle and I were able to attend the temple with Justine, her first time. She was so excited! Our ward temple night actually fell on her 12th birthday, and Bishop Woodruff signed her recommend early that previous Sunday so that she could go with us that day. She rode over with the youth (we had around 20 in the temple with us), and we met her in the baptistry. I had been working to prepare some names of my immediate family: My maternal/paternal grandparents, a couple aunts and uncles, a cousin, and others. It was the first time I had prepared names (thanks Stacy and Dessa for helping me get started!). I felt a real spirit of Elijah as we visited Indiana this past spring; my sister and I were able to gather a lot of information while we were there. The Spirit was strong as Justine and I participated in the baptismal and confirmation ordinances. A couple of the young men who I had become close to when I served as the YM President last year assisted me with the male names...it was such a wonderful experience!

I am grateful for my dear sister for bringing the Gospel to me; our upbringing wasn't great, and the Gospel saved us both. For wonderful friends both before and after my mission who helped teach me and bring light into my life. For my wonderful wife who saw the good in me early, and who has helped me become a better husband and father. But most of all to my Heavenly Father, who has blessed me with a wonderful family and has entrusted chosen spirits to come to our home. I feel truly blessed!

Justine's 1st Temple Trip

2009-01-18T17:06:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time in the temple last Wednesday! Justine turned 12 on Jan 14th, the same day of our Ward Temple Night and Dinner. We were able to attend together as a family (James, Michelle, Justine) and initiate work for names of several of James' immediate ancestors. It was a wonderful time!

Justine also danced at the halftime show at the Jazz game last week...

Justine is right on the halfcourt line, in the front row

Michelle's aunt and uncle also returned from a mission to Cambodia recently...on New Year's Day, we all got together for bowling and lunch.

Justine is growing up!

2009-01-06T17:29:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday I took Justine to visit with the Bishop for her Young Women's interview...she will be 12 on January 14th. It was a time of reflection for me; it seems like just yesterday she was Maddie's age! Some of my memories of Justine....

1. The first time she opened her eyes when she was born.

2. Watching the Bulls together trounce the Jazz in the Finals. I bought her a little Bulls uniform that she would wear for every game.

3. The first time she recognized a color; it was a green light while driving down the road.

4. Getting stopped every 10 minutes everywhere we went by people telling us how beautiful she was. While in the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago in 2000, an Oriental tourist stopped us so she could get her picture taken with Justine.

5. Coaching her in T-ball

6. One of her first words was "Michael Jordan" and "Bulls"

7. Her baptism

8. Coming out of the Bishop's office last Sunday with her first Temple Recommend

We are so proud of Justine. She is very talented and a wonderful young lady. She makes good choices and is a good friend to others. She has a growing testimony of the restored gospel. She is good big sister to her siblings and sets a good example for them.

First snowman - Sandy UT

Justine broke her arm when she was 18 months old.
She fell down a window well at Grandma Edna's

Dad and Justine - 1998

Christmas Report

2008-12-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning we were pleasantly surprised that no one woke us up until 7AM! We had a great day and everyone received the gifts that they desired...

Christmas Eve was fun filled as busy! We had a family party that evening complete with a visit from Santa. After dinner/singing/Santa visit, we headed off to Temple Square (our family tradition), accompanied by Janaye and Austin (Michelle's sister and son). It was a great time, with weather in the mid-30's and very comfortable.

The kids have been playing non-stop with they gifts...singing Wii game, dad got a new guitar, mom a new sewing machine, Justine a Zune (mp3 player), Maddie with a couple princess items, Emilie with a digital camera.

Austin reflecting as he looked at the temple. He sat there for around 5 minutes
staring...he is baptized, but not active.

Cute Emilie

Temple

Rusty

I proposed to Michelle 13 years ago on Temple Square.
While we were dating, she instructed me in no
uncertain terms that I was not to propose on
Temple Square (too cliche, apparently).
I figured Temple Square would
be the place she would least expect it,
so that's what I did. Afterwards, we
announced our nuptials to the wait staff
of the JB's across the street
from the temple.

Family

Cute Maddie

Kids

Family

Night time

2008-12-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, scriptures at our house look like this...

Other times, it looks like this...

Pretty normal, except for the following discussion:

Justine: "Emilie! Your feet STINK!"
Dad: "Justine, be quiet! Why do we have to discuss every night that it is rude to speak and interrupt a family member when it is their turn to read?"
Justine: Rolls her eyes.
Dad: "Did you just roll your eyes at me? Did you just roll your eyes at me?"
Justine: "Her feet STINK!"
Dad: "Em, keep your feet out of Justine's face!"
Em: "HAHAHAHAHA!"
Michelle: See photo
Maddie: Raises hand...
Dad: "Yes, Maddie?"
Maddie: "Jesus is nice, huh?"
Dad: "Yes Maddie, he is."

Kids Pictures

2008-12-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

Justine received her dance pictures back...Emilie got her school photo, too.

Catching up...

2008-12-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

Wow do we have some catching up to do! Here we go...

James' mother passed away last month (11 November). She had been sick for a very long time, so it wasn't unexpected. It was one of those where it was more of a relief, as she was suffering so much, but we miss her. We were able to head back to Indiana last April for a visit. There was no funeral or service. James headed down to Las Vegas for a couple days that week to spend with his sister Laurie.

We had a great Thanksgiving this year; we spent it at Michelle's mom's house with a few of her siblings. A great 4 day weekend away from the busy schedule of work!

We are getting ready for Christmas. Michelle sponsored a Toys for Tots drive for our neighborhood this past week. It turned out really great and she had a great turnout with lots of toys donated. Yesterday we took the toys up the the Marine Corps office where they will be handed out to needy kids. It was a great experience and Michelle did a great job! She is one of the most service oriented people I have ever known; she is always thinking of others.

Justine is finishing up a small fundraiser for her great Aunt & Uncle who are on a mission to Cambodia. She is collecting money to send them so that they can buy white shirts for the young men in the branch where they are serving. She is a great kid, and we are doing our best to help her continue to learn the spirit of service; she is doing a great job!

Work for James is going well; if James and Carl hit a certain sales number by the end of the year, then they get to go on the company club trip to the Dominican Republic next spring (wives included). Cross your fingers!

Emilie had a good soccer season. We moved her up 2 levels this year as she was scoring 8-10 goals a game in her age group. She was a little intimidated in the new league as she was playing against kids 2-3 years older than her. One game Michelle told her she would pay her a nickle for every time she kicked the ball (she was being timid) and she proceeded to earn a dollar and score a goal in about 5 minutes. She now wants to play Junior Jazz basketball; it looks like we got a boy after all!

Rusty the dog has been a great addition to the family...he plays with everyone, and chews on everything. I went to put on my shoes the other day and both my laces broke; he had chewed on them. Overall a great dog! We can't wait for the summer...we are going to buy a camper and a couple of four wheelers (really for the elk hunt next year...but we will use if for the family too!) this spring. We used to go ATV'ing/camping all the time when we lived in South Jordan and we really miss it.

Toys for Tots Fundraiser

First Day of Kindergarten

Em's Birthday

Em Soccer

Justine Piano

Dad B-Day

Younger Days...

Haloween

2008-10-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

Great Halloween this year! 60 degrees for trick or treating. Justine had a party where 15 of her friends came over for pizza, trick or treating, games, and a movie. The Morrison's across the street were having the same party for boys in Justine's class...Tracy (the mom at the boy's party) called Michelle and told her that the girls should sneek over and come through the backyard and scare the boys. It turned out to be a setup, because as soon as the girls went into the back yard, all the boys jumped out and scared all the girls to death.

Pumpkins

Pizza

Getting ready to trick or treat

Dad telling ghost stories...this one is about "The Claw" (all rights reserved)

New Dog

2008-10-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

After months of searching, we finally found a dog for Emilie. She has been begging for close to a year for a dog! Meet Rusty, our new Australian Sheperd.

Rusty should make a fine addition to our family! We looked high and low for a good dog; this one will be a great camping dog, and is GREAT with kids; very protective, and well mannered. He is already very attached to Emilie.

In Other News...

The house search is on hold for now. We put in an offer this fall but didn't get it. I think things will continue to drop over the winter, so we will hit it again next spring. We will know when its the right time, I believe.

Michelle is the new Community Council president...she really loves serving over at the school, and has many great ideas and has a great attitude.

Work is busier than ever for dad. Spent the week in Idaho going on appointments for new business. We have more than ever in our pipe. If we exceed our number for the year, we get to take our wives to the company trip in the Dominican Republic. We are working hard to get there. We really do have the best SAN on the market, and have received 10-12 major awards this year, which is giving us major exposure. We win roughly 80% of the deals we get into. My partner, Carl, is a phenomenal salesman...one of the best I have been around. I learn alot working alongside him. I have a great job!

Short Update

2008-10-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

So much is going on that we will need to take a couple hours next Sunday to update the blog. Quick recap...

This Saturday we will be in the temple with Paul and Natalie as they prepare to get married on November 1st. Paul is one of my ward missionaries that I was able to get to know several months ago (read here). What a great experience that will be! Then next week they will be sealed in the SLC Temple.

Today is my birthday....way too old. Michelle is taking me to a movie today. The girls want to get me a cat or a dog for my birthday. I did get a new bow!

UPDATE

We went and saw Forever Strong today. Great movie! Several awesome messages in it. It's about the Highland Rugby team here in SLC. We used to live right across the street from Highland High School when we were first married.

Testimonies

2008-09-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

"Testimony isn't something you have today, and you are going to have always. A testimony is fragile. It is as hard to hold as a moonbeam. It is something you have to recapture every day of your life."

-Harold B. Lee

You'll have to forgive me if the blog gets a bit personal sometimes. The blog is essentially my journal. I have never been a good journal keeper, so this is as good as it gets for me, I suppose. I imagine that one day I will print the whole thing off and save it.

Michelle and I attended a great Stake fireside last night. Our Stake President gave a great talk on marriage and communication. He talked about "agreeing to disagree agreeably". It was a great time and great counsel. We all went to Chili's afterwards for dinner. We drove over with the Stauffer's. On the way, Mike received a call from his boys at home saying that they smelled smoke in the house. After some quizzing, Mike decided to drop us off and run home to investigate. As he got out of the car at his house, he smelled smoke. It turns out that one of the neighbors was burning their swingset (don't ask) and that is what the boys smelled. I can't wait to see little Stauff at church and give him a hard time about that one.

Latest letter from Steve and Robin, serving in Cambodia:

Hi Michelle,

Thanks for the pictures. I especially like the one with your dad and the girls. Who is the third girl, one of Mike"s??

Anyway, about the missionary money. Thanks for wanting to help.

The $500 amount is to come from each missionary personally. After that the General Missionary fund kicks in.

If you donate money, we will make sure that the young men do some work for it. The problem they are having is

that the jobs do not pay enough here for them to save in a reasonable time (takes years to save). It is very discouraging and we have some wonderful

young men who really want to go, and need to get out on their missions while they are motivated. (you know how that is)

It is so interesting here (and a bit stupid) because the Khmer parents expect their children to take care of them

the rest of their lives financially. We have a young man who has a mother who was working and is very capable of working, yet because

she has children who are old enough to work, she quit work and is expecting them to pay for her living. She now spends

every day hanging out with the neighbors, going to the pagoda and spending money on the monks. Frustrating.

All the young men, except one, are the only members in their families. They are not only contending with the money

issue but are experiencing some verbal abuse from their families. They are proving to be particularly strong in still coming to

church because they "remember the feelings of the Holy Ghost". They amaze me.

Steve and I have been so blessed to know them. I have attached a picture of them that I took last Saturday at the church.

They spent all day at an Open House for our new church building. they sang in the Sacrament Meeting portion of the open

house which lasted from 9:00-5:00. They sang two songs each hour. They are so wonderful. I love them so much.

Okay, let me tell you about their " white" shirts.

I asked the "boys" (as I call them) to wear a white shirt for the Open House performance.Some of them had one and others did not.

I then asked them to wear their shirts to our last practice so I could see what they looked like and to give them a new tie that I had

made for them. When they came for the practice,some did not bring their shirts like I had asked.

I said, "Where are your shirts?" One young man pulled his out from behind his back and said "Sister, it's not very white."

It was the dirtiest "white" shirt I had ever seen. I said, "Well just put it on" Then for the others that didn't have

one I said, "Can you borrow a shirt?" One of the young men who was there, but not singing, said he would go home and

bring back the shirts he had. So he brought back three dingy white shirts and apologized about their color.

After looking the group over and realizing that they do their laundry by hand and with well water, I said, "Would you like

me to take your shirts home and wash and iron them for you?" Their faces lit up, "Oh yes!!" So after the practice, I had

them leave the shirts with me and I took them home. That night, when I was putting stain stick on their collars and on

their stains, I cried. I thought of each of them and how much I loved them. I hoped so much that I could get their shirts

clean. I added extra bleach in the water and said a silent prayer that by some miracle the shirts would turn white.

When I took the first batch out, I was so happy to see that the shirts were very clean (not exactly white, but closer than

they had been for a long time) and even the collars were clean. There were a couple of shirts that had to go back

in for a second wash, but after they dried and I ironed them they looked wonderful.

On Saturday, I met the boys early so they could put on their shirts and ties. They looked so handsome and felt so confident.

These "boys" are the best of the best. Words are inadequate for the love I have for each of them. I hope so much that they will all

be able to get out on a mission, they deserve it.

Their names are: Four up front (L to R) Darin, Sedeth, Dara, Rithy. Next row:

Monny, Chenna, Viriak. Top two: Kimyan, Seung

(Darin has his family in the church, the others are the only members). Dara is the branch

mission leader. Chenna is the Young Men's President, Kimyan teaches seminary. Monny

has a beautiful singing voice and would like to sing with the Tabernacle Choir. Rithy is the

newest member, being baptized two weeks ago. Viriak's family raises pigs and he struggles

the most with his parents. Seung is learning to be a tailor. Sedeth is a branch missionary.

Missing in the picture, because they were late are Rak Smey (the branch music leader) and

Sinah (the branch clerk).

Can you see why I love them?

Thanks for anything you can do.

Love,

Robyn

Justine's New PenPal

2008-09-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

Justine received a letter from her penpal in Cambodia tonight; her great aunt/uncle are serving a mission there. This is the first letter she received; I thought it was pretty neat so here it is:

Dear Justine,



I'm sorry for replying late.I wish you forgive me.
I can give some answer. I'm 10 years old.
My favorite color is green and orange.
My favorite animal is cub.My favorite song is
'' when you say nothing at all''.I like to dance
and sing.I was born at the 25th of May1998.I
went to the temple at Hong Kong with my family.
I have me, my sis Emma who is 20, Max who
is 18.Sengthai who is 12, James who
is 5, Heng who is 3,Tong my dad who is 48,
Kim my mom who is 39.

I wish you will come to visit me at Cambodia.

                         Love Sina
                      To : my lovely penpal Justine

Justine is getting ready to do some fundraising for the missionary efforts over in Cambodia. There are several young men there that are worthy to serve missions, but lack funds. The mission president has asked each young man to contribute $500 to their mission in order for them to go, so Justine will raise as much as she can and send the money over. She is considering a bake sale to get started.

Adventures in Babysitting

2008-09-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Michelle and I were over in South Jordan looking at houses, and had left Justine in charge of Em & Mads. As we were driving around, we received a call from a very frantic Emilie...she had to go to the bathroom, but the doors to all the bathrooms in the house were "locked". As I pressed Emilie (who was sounding very stressed at this point) for additional information as to why all the bathroom doors in our house would be locked, she proceeded to explain to me that several minutes earlier, Justine had been teasing Emilie, threatening to flush her blankie down the toilet. So Emilie, in the spirit of one-upmanship, decided she would thwart Justine's plan, and lock all the doors to rooms which had toilets in them. Now, in our house, blankies are, well....sacred. Whenever one goes missing, everything stops, a national emergency is declared, and everyone looks for the blankie until one is found. If it is not found, then mom heads to the Walmart, buys some material, and immediately makes a new one. We even had to stop scriptures the other night so that I could drive over to the Stauffer's and find Maddie's blankie that she had forgot. The alternative is to listen to a screaming, crying fit. Yes, we are weak. The crowning moment to this was we arrived home to a puddle of pee on the kitchen floor, compliments of Maddie. If I only had boys...I could have told them to just go out in the back yard and take care of business.

Emilie with the blankie...

Last night Michelle and I had a nice date at The Roof downtown. Great time!

This past week I went on my 1st Elk Archery hunt. It was a blast! We went up above Vernal, as well as deep into the Wasatch (above Strawberry). We were camped around 10,000 feet both times. Beautiful country! No elk though. Maybe next year.

This was the toughest terrrain that I have ever hiked in...straight
up a heavily wooded mountainside, with tons of deadfall.
Shortly after this, we called in an elk, and
he was within 100 yards. We could hear him crashing
through the deadfall until he caught our scent
(we were downwind of him) and took off. It was intense!

Ward Campout - Hobble Creek Canyon

2008-08-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our annual trip to Hobble Creek Campground for the Ward campout. It was a blast!!! Dad caught a bunch of fish in the creek, mom and dad participated in an ABBA Tribute band, and the girls karaoked all night. See video's and photos below.

ABBA Cover Band
James and Michelle on right
The show almost didn't go on; Michelle barricaded herself in her trailer
due to her demands for two bowls of "red M&M's" before every show.
The roadies messed up and the M & M's for this show were blue...
Fame is getting to her!

Emilie Karaoke

Em & Allie Ott - Karaoke

Dad and Maddie by the fire

Em and Allie Ott

Em and Clara Moffat

Justine and Tiana

These are pictures of new cousin Kaislee Johnson!

The Gospel in Cambodia

2008-08-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

This is a letter from Michelle's aunt & uncle who are serving a mission in Cambodia...

Hello to Everyone,

Well, we did it! On the 15th of July we reached our one year

anniversary since arriving in Cambodia. It's been an amazing year

filled with laughter and tears. The photo of the family attached

is just one of the reasons all of you are needed in the mission

field....yesterday!

The man right in front of Steve is Khem. He

and his family, along with his friend Raa and his family, are

investigating the gospel. We have been visiting them about twice

weekly during our temporary assignment in Kampong Cham, which is a

province city about 2 hours northeast of Phnom Penh. These two

families live side by side at a small brick factory where they earn

$2.00 per day making bricks 12 hours per day every day of the

week. We have been teaching them in Khem's house, where we all are

in this photo. Oh, and also in the house right behind Steve are 6

baby pigs that Khem is raising for food and extra income. They

have no electricity so we read by candle light, flash light and

occasionally, a small overhead light that they attach to a car

battery. But it doesn't work too often. You can see us well only

because of the camera flash. These families are so amazing!!!

They are positive, happy, friendly and grateful for what they

have. They welcome us into their home like royalty. When the

missionaries teach a lesson or when Robyn tells a Primary story,

the Spirit is so strong that it almost hurts. And to sit around

the candle light watching the children....AND the parents all

coloring a picture of Noah and the Ark, it's something we hope you

all get to experience as you will never think about the Gospel, or

your lives quite the same. When Khem and Raa came to church for

the first time, they couldn't believe how clean everything was and

how nicely they were treated. Of course they loved being in the AC

(air conditioned room) as that's a luxury only for the wealthy here

in Cambodia. They also took one of the hymnals home with them so

that they could sing together. So far they love....A Child of

God. We sing it every time we go. We also bring a big tin of

cookies for treats which is something they could never afford on

their own. These families, and others like them, have helped us

change our perspective on what's really important in life and what

we truly need to be happy. It can be found in a small, humble

bamboo and grass house that's about the size of a 12x12 bedroom

complete with pigs. It's the pure love of Christ that we read

about in the scriptures. It's charity, hope, faith and love.

It's being satisfied and thankful for what we've been given but also

willing to give it all away for someone else to enjoy. Thank you

so much for your prayers and support. We know the Gospel is true

and is alive and well in Cambodia.

Love,

Elder and Sister Wallwork aka Steve and Robyn

Steve and Robin are wonderful examples to our entire family as they have given up 18 months of their lives (and they are relatively young!) to serve the Lord. We really look forward to their reports from the mission field!

Yesterday Emilie cut her foot and James and Justine took her to the clinic to get stitched up. She was a real trooper, and really toughed it out during the Lidocaine shots; she actually fell asleep during the stitches. I wish I would have had the camera for that!

Photos from Phx Trip

2008-08-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

Jeff & Kate Pugmire

James & Don Nation

Dan and Becky Wadsworth

James & Don

Dan, James, & Don

Travel!

2008-08-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

We have been on the road quite a bit this summer...a few of the trips that we've taken recently:

Phoenix. James had a two day meeting in Phx for work, and had the opportunity to see several friends. He stayed with Jeff and Kathryn Pugmire (Blewster) and was able to catch up with several friends...James, Kathryn, and Jeff got together with Kathryn's sister Becky and her husband Dan, as well as Don Nation, James' old roommate from the singles ward days. It was great to see Dan and Becky...I have always thought that they were the neatest couple, and James has always looked up to Dan...very cool guy! They have a GREAT family with lots of wonderful kids! It was also great to see Don...it had been around 14 years! We spent a few hours catching up. I will post photos soon.

James went straight from Phx to Vegas for a 4 day meeting with his sales team. Good food, good golf, but after 3 days of being bombarded by that place, came home a day early! It was about 150 degrees the whole time.

Had the Johnson (Michelle's dad) reunion down in Moroni as well. Great fun! Camped in the yard (forgot the air matresses...ouch!). It was great to see everybody!

Emilie, Emily Stauffer, and Maddie

Emilie riding with Grandpa

Justine reading to Em

Maddie riding with Grandpa

Todd's (Michelle's brother) wedding

Jason Kupiec (Tin Cup..he is about a 2 handicap)

Mike, Edie, Steve, and Dottie

Todd's Wedding Day (Lehi)

24th of July Report...

2008-07-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Not much new happening...for the 24th of July we took off and went up to Park City and stayed a few days at the Canyons Resort. We had planned on going camping, but a very persistent telemarketer had been badgering Michelle for weeks, insisting we come up to the Canyons and listen to a sales pitch on "time share ownership". Now, nobody hates these things more than me. I went to one about 10 years ago, and committed that I would never go to another. After the 8th phone call, Michelle convinced the guy to give us two free nights at the resort immediately after the pitch. So I relented and we went up. We sit down with the sales person (George Williamson) and as we introduce ourselves, I immediately commenced to inform him that I was in no way interested, that if he wanted to just give me my two nights, and perhaps move on to someone who was actually interested in a time share, that it would be alright by me. He felt that after his pitch I would have a different opinion, and I told him that he had been warned. He was actually a very interesting man...after he had probed us for information about what kind of vacations we enjoyed (I told him that we didn't vacation, only "camped"). I asked him what kind of adventures he had been on...it turns out that he had spent two years on a sailboat sailing around the world back in '83, among other really cool adventures (restaurateur, finished 174th at the 2009 World Series of Poker, among others!). One of his daughters is an actress in CA. So it turned out that we mostly talked about him. Every time he got 5 minutes into his pitch, I would throw out something like "OK that's cool...let's go back to this sailing trip...." and we would talk about these cool adventures. Here is a sample of our dialogue..... George: Well, would you ever like to go to Hawaii? James: No. It's too far. George: How about Europe? James: Oh, yes! I served my mission there! Does the timeshare cover airline tickets? George: Oh, no. James: Well.....I am afraid that's a problem...so, what islands did you stop at on your round-the-globe sailing trip? George: How about we take a quick tour of the property and get you on your way? I was genuinely intrigued. In the end, everyone loves to talk about themselves, and George was no exception. I had told him that I wasn't interested...I am in Sales, and I have a pretty good understanding of sales pitches, sales questions (Shaun Steel, arguably one of the best Sales people I have ever been around is my mentor/sinse/Jedi master) and I really don't like to spin my wheels with people who are there for the free HP camera, etc., so I would just as soon give them the free shwag and move onto someone who could make me some money. I did empathize with him; he is simply trying to make a living. Very cool guy!

He was a really interesting guy though! We even talked religion. Learn more about George here:

http://www.pokerpages.com/players/profiles/115430/george-williamson.htm

http://www.edesber.com/PDFs/JambalyaParkRecord02-14-1998.pdf

After checking in, we didn't do much but hang out at the pool (see previous posts...my girls are part waterdog). We did go up to Park City and ride the Alpine Slide and Alpine Coaster.

Sorry, no pictures. In my haste to escape the heat of the valley I forgot the camera.

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

4th of July weekend was fun-packed and busy. Friday started off with the parade in the morning, followed by a neighborhood barbeque with the Otts, Holmes, and Kupiec families. We had a great time just hanging out, eating, quoting movies, and lighting/watching fireworks.

We also took the annual trip up to Bear Lake with the Hunts, Steels, and Glovers. Our good friends the Hunts have in-laws that live right on the lake. We go up every year to waterski and just hang out. Great friends from our South Jordan ward. There are a couple houses for sale in our old neighborhood, and they about had me talked into moving back! We really look forward to the Bear Lake trip...the kids have a GREAT time hanging out at the beach and riding the tube. The beach has a very gradual slope and the kids can go out 50-75 yards and be in just a couple feet of water.

Here are some photos from the weekend...click to view larger size photo.

Justine and friend Lindsay from old Alps class

Dad and Mads

Emilie

My good friend Kenny Hunt

Justine's 1st waterskiing attempt!

Dad giving a lesson....

Almost made it!

Diminished wakeboarding skills...soon dad will be only running the flag.

Em

4th of July party

Em & Mads

Parade. Not dad's favorite...but mom and the kids love it!

Justine and friend Morgan

This guy was handing out business cards at the parade.
Wildman Drywall...for all your gypsum needs.

Allergies

2008-06-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

Does anyone have a good cure for allergies??? I am dying this year! Zyrtec and Claritin don't work. I used to take Seldane before it was taken off the market years ago. It used to be that I went and got a Kenalog shot, and my ills were cured. Apparently, they quit giving Kenalog shots because "the mortality rate was too high". Just give me the Kenalog shot...I will take my chances! Maybe I can go to Mexico and get a Kenalog shot.

Restored Blessings of Salvation

2008-06-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! Tonight my good friend, Paul Ahoto'e'iloa, received the Melchizidek Priesthood and was ordained an Elder. I first met Paul a few months ago. He was a less-active member of our ward who had recently been visited by our Bishop. The Ward mission was asked to start visiting his home on a regular basis. We made several visits and then taught Paul and his girlfriend (Natalie) the discussions from Preach My Gospel. It was a sweet experience as we watched Paul and Natalie progress. After a couple months, he advanced in the Aaronic Priesthood, faithfully attended to his priesthood duties, and attended the temple for the first time in over 13 years. Tonight he received the higher priesthood, and next week he will receive his Patriarchal Blessing. Sometime in the early fall, Paul and Natalie will be sealed in the SL Temple. What an awesome couple! I feel truly blessed for the chance I've had to get to know them, and my testimony has grown as I have watched the change in their lives. Tonight I am grateful for Joseph Smith, and all those who paved the way for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored in it's fullness. I am blessed with an incredible wife and 3 daughters who make life wonderful for me!

The Best Father's Day Gift Ever!

2008-06-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

Father's Day started off like this:

We then had a wonderful tea party, complete with cookies and water! A great breakfast!

Michelle took the girls to get pictures taken this week for Father's Day...my favorite gift ever!!!

Here is photo of Justine's dance recital earlier this week...

YouTube - Big Game has arrived!

2008-06-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

If you are considering purchasing data storage for your network, please ignore my comments on this video...I have recovered from the error of my ways. If you buy storage, buy COMPELLENT!

My spot is at the end of this video.

DisneyWorld Vacation

2008-05-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

We spent May 5-12 in Orlando for our family vacation. We had a GREAT time! We stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club and spent several days at the various Disney parks. We even took a day and drove to Daytona Beach for a day at the ocean.

A typical day consisted of going to a park, coming home, 2-hour nap, and then a few hours at the pool. Repeat. 6 times. We couldn't have picked a better week to go; we walked up to literally every ride. The first 2 weeks in May falls between Spring Breaks and the end of school. 90 degrees and sunny every day. We had to split up the family on the flights as we had frequent flier miles on Delta and Southwest had the best fares, so mom and Emilie took Delta and the rest of us flew Southwest. Fortunately I was able to book the flights so we arrived close together time-wise.

Enjoy the pictures! Click on picture for larger size photo...

Eating breakfast on the hotel balcony; 75 degrees and beautiful!

Family @ Magic Kingdom...did I mention there were NO lines?

Emilie @ airport...she is excited!

Emilie in hotel pool...she would live in the pool if she could!

Did I mention that they love water? This is 5 minutes after check-in.

Maddie jumping to Dad.

Maddie in pool.

More pool.

Not sure when this was...the pool must have been closed.

Day 1...boat ride to Magic Kingdom!

Splash Mountain 2008. Dad gets really excited on this ride.

Splash Mountain 2004. Excited again!

Splash Mountain 2001. Our friend Steph Bullock asked who the special needs
guy was in the back...

Dino Ride. I didn't want to buy the photo, so I took this picture as our
photo came up on the monitor. Poor Em was scared on this one!

Mom and Emilie

This is us waiting for the tram at like 11:30PM.
Emilie is baked and not happy!

Family

Girls

Girls

Horse show

Justine jumping rope on Main Street

Justine

Emilie & Madelyn

Maddie driving the car. This is the ride that has the rail that you drive
down. She banged the car back & forth all the way around. My
head was pounding after this ride!

Mom & Maddie

Splash Mountain

Ride

THE BEACH

Dad

This wave must be 10-12 feet high. Brave.

Em & Mads

Emilie on boogeyboard

Emilie waiting for the big wave set to come in...

Justine & Mads playing in surf

Justine boogeyboarding

Big Wave!

Justine in waves

"Is that Dad saving that beautiful girl from that shark?"

Indiana Vacation: Day 4 - Friday

2008-03-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

After our time in Nauvoo, we headed for Indiana to meet my sisters, Laurie and Kath, as well as my brother Mike. We arrived in Lowell at around 9PM. We hit some snowy weather the last couple hours so it took us a little bit longer than planned. It was great to see everybody and we spent a couple hours visiting and catching up. Our last visit was back in 2004. Mom is looking better than I expected. The cancer is flaring up, and has spread to her lungs. She is back in chemotherapy and we are hoping for the best. She was very sick last week with the flu, and we were all very concerned. Her spirits lifted, however, when she heard that we were all coming out to see her.

Today my sisters and I (along with Michelle and the girls) spent the day re-visiting our childhood homes as well as various other places in our hometowns. It was quite a surreal experience as many memories came flooding back to me. We grew up in a rural Indiana town called Schererville, which has a population of around 6,000. We spent some time in cemeteries where we visited the graves of families, friends, and classmates. I was able to visit, for the 1st time, the gravesites of my maternal grandparents, Adolph and Erma Graper. They passed away in 1992 and 1993, respectively. I loved my grandfather and have many fond memories of him as a young boy. I used to love going over to Grandma and Grandpa Graper's house when I was little. I was able to visit the graves of several other relatives as well, both direct and distant. Again, I felt the Spirit strongly and had a strong impression to do the temple work for my ancestors. This work has not been done, and I have spent the last few months putting together my ancestry files so that I can take the names to the temple and perform these saving ordinances for my family. It was a testimony to me as I was inspired about certain individuals as we visited their resting places.

This used to be the drug store
where I would go to buy candy.
I would get .25 allowance each
week and I would go down
and buy 25 pieces of
penny candy. Life was
simple then!

This used to be the barber shop where
I would walk to get my haircut. I
remember my mom giving me some
change to go down and get my
haircut. There was a wait for
the barber, so I ended up
spending the change on soda
pop from the pop machine
inside the barber shop.
Needless to say, I came home
without a haircut!
I got a sore behind from that one!

The house where I was born.

This is a sepulcher in a Catholic cemetery not
far from our house. We used to play
in this. There is a statue of Jesus
praying inside...it is a depiction
of the Garden of Gethsemane.

Statue in sepulcher

After visiting the cemeteries, we headed out to Winfield Township where both sets of my grandparents were from. We stopped at Grandma and Grandpa Graper's house (long since bought by my Aunt Carol after their passing) and walked through the house again. It was very emotional for us siblings to be there again after over 35 years since our last visit.

Grandma and Grandpa Graper

We then headed up the road a couple of miles and dropped in on my fraternal grandmother, Mickey Riley (my last name used to be Riley; I was adopted by my stepfather when I was 12). I had not seen my Grandma Riley for close to 37 years. We stopped at the farm where we thought she lived (it had been over 36 years!), and my sister Laurie and I walked up to door and knocked. A very old woman answered the door, and it was my Grandma Riley. We introduced ourselves and she invited us in. The rest of the family soon followed and we had a wonderful visit. The house was just as I remembered it from when I was 5 years old. Grandma Riley was very sweet and was very happy to see her grandson after so many years, and was happy to meet her great-grandchildren, too. After a while her daughter, my aunt Carol Sue, and my Uncle Jim came over to check on her (there were strange cars in the driveway, so they came by to see what was going on!) and we were able to get re-acquainted with my aunt and uncle as well. Emilie took to Aunt Carol Sue very quickly as you can see in the photo below. I was a little nervous to go out there, but I am grateful we did! The barn is in a big pile of timber, as my dad Jim and his brothers had come over a few days earlier and pulled it down with trucks as it was unstable. One of my earliest memories of this place is when I was attacked by a German Shepherd at the age of 4; I had a large gash in my head for weeks. They were unable to sew it up for fear of rabies, and had to quarantine the dog as well.

Meeting Grandma Riley after 37 years

Grandma Riley and Family

Great Grandpa Riley (blacksmith)

Aunt Carol Sue and new best friend Emilie

Grandma Riley and Riley sons. My dad is
on back row, far left (Jim Riley)

Indiana Vacation: Day 3 - Thursday

2008-03-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Day 3 started in Nauvoo, IL. We woke up to heavy rain, and some thunder. Michelle and I had planned on attending the temple during the day, but it did not open until 2PM. So, after checking out of the hotel we headed over to Carthage to tour the jail where Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred in 1844. During the drive from Nauvoo to Carthage, Michelle read aloud Section 135 from the Doctrine & Covenants (account of the martydom). After a 30 minute drive from Nauvoo to Carthage along the Mississippi River we arrived and started the tour. The Spirit was strong as we recognized that we were on sacred ground. The tour covers the visitor's center as well as the various rooms and areas of the jail, and concludes in the upper room of the jail where the martyrdom occurred. This was our 2nd time (2000 was the time of the 1st visit) at the jail, and it left a profound impact on us all.

Carthage Jail - Joseph & Hyrum. I love this statue! It depicts Hyrum's devotion
to his brother, the Prophet.

Jail cell where John Taylor was taken
by Willard Richards for protection
from the mob during the attack on the
jail. It is recorded that while being held in
this cell for a short time, the prophet Joseph
prophesied that in a short time
bullets would fly around Bro. Richards like hail,
but that he would escape unscathed. That prophesy
was realized a short time later.

Bullet hole in door to upper room

AGirls in front of Statue

After Carthage we headed back to Nauvoo and took turns doing work in the temple. Michelle felt the spirit in a very powerful way as she ascended the steps to enter the temple. There were some very neat artifacts inside that we were able to see. All in all a very sweet experience! The brothers and sisters serving therein were wonderful, and very excited to serve the patrons. I have had similiar experiences while visiting other temples, and it is always a treat to mingle with these faithful Saints serving in the "mission field". It is a great perspective, as we are so blessed to have so many members, temples, etc. in Utah.

This statue is right across the street from
the temple. It depicts Joseph
and Hyrum on their horses. One of the things
I gained from this visit was the great support and love
the prophet Joseph received from
his brother Hyrum. I really felt that as the story of
Nauvoo and the martyrdom was recounted several times.
The Spirit testified in a
very powerful way while we were here.

Nauvoo Temple at night. Not a great photo;
there was not a lot of light, and
I did not have a tripod so the picture isn't very sharp.
I wish I would have spend a little more time trying to
get a better photo, but it was
very COLD and rainy.

Indiana Vacation: Days 1 & 2 - Tuesday/Wednesday

2008-03-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 8AM MST: Left SLC UT for Lowell, Indiana. Loaded up the Suburban with food, kids, and lots of anticipation! Day 1 was pretty uneventful; drove through the beautiful state of Wyoming (yes, you did detect a small amount of sarcasm) and halfway through Nebraska. Stayed the night in Kearney. Tomorrow we will tour the somewhat famous "Archway"; it is a museum that spans Interstate 80. We toured it back in 2000 shortly after it opened. It is fun; it is themed after the progress of America, from the pioneers crossing the plains to the construction of the Interstate highway system instituted by Pres. Eisenhower.

Long drive today; Michelle said that being trapped in the car with the kids for a week will be good for me. Teach me more patience, I suppose. I have been working on humility this month, so I suppose that patience will help with that.

Wednesday 11:33PM CST: Had a fun day today. The morning started off with a tour of the Archway (see above). It was fun, and it didn't take too long. It was the same as it was 8 years ago, but fun again nonetheless. We got back on the road and drove to Omaha, where we stopped at the Strategic Air Museum. We spent a couple hours there and had a really fun time! They had an honest to goodness flight simulator that we all rode twice (Michelle had an upset stomach all the way to Des Moines; I told her not to let Emilie fly the thing!). It was awesome! We all walked around the flight hangars and checked out the various airplanes. Maddie & I spent a good part of the visit in a real, live B-52 cockpit pretending to fly over France; more good times! There must have been over 200 buttons and switches in the cockpit.

Kearney Museum

Strategic Air Museum

Maddie not excited about getting hair done!

SR-71 Blackbird

B-52 Bomber Cockpit

After finishing up at the SAC museum, we drove straight through to Nauvoo and checked into our hotel; before that, we did a quick drive-by of the temple; it is absolutely magnificent! I can't wait to go in tomorrow. I forgot my Sunday clothes and ended up stopping at Walmart to get some appropriate clothing for the temple. I am going to go for run through downtown 1st thing in the morning and soak it all in.

Return of the Blog.

2008-03-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

I think I have had so much fun reading everyone else's blogs, that I have neglected my own...

Not much really new going on these days. We are currently on vacation; in fact, I am blogging from a motel room in Nauvoo, IL. We are on our way to see Grandma and Grandpa Rupprecht in Indiana and since Nauvoo was only about 100 miles out of the way, we decided to spend a day here. We were last here 8 years ago. We arrived at around 9:30pm, and the first thing we did was drive over and see the temple. It is beautiful! Michelle & I are going to over tomorrow to take turns doing initiatories so that one of us can watch the kids. I hope to have photos up soon of our trip. We forgot the USB cable for our camera so I don't have a way to get them uploaded to my laptop. There is a Walmart on every corner so I am hoping to pick one up tomorrow sometime.

A quick family update:

Maddie: Growing like a weed and full of energy! She turns 4 in a couple of months. Very imaginative and loves hanging out with big sister Emilie. She loves Primary.

Emilie: Emilie has been in pre-school, and is doing great in here reading, counting, etc. She loves to read, and reads everything she sees. She enjoys being a big sister and is very protective of Maddie. It is not uncommon to see her getting after the kids who pick on her little sister. She is very social and has many friends.

Justine: Justine is progressing rapidly in dance and piano. I think we will put her on the competitive team this year for her dance studio. It is also nice to actually have some accompaniment on the piano during FHE!

Michelle: Doing great, staying busy being a mom and a homemaker. She participates in the community council here locally and stays busy and involved with church and school. Still running the Nursery in the ward.

James: As busy as ever with work, etc. Not too much travel; a trip or two to Idaho each month. Was recently released from the YM and is now working with the missionary effort in the ward and stake.

42 Years Young

2007-10-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

Not much to say tonight...I am in MN on my birthday, and Michelle took a picture of the girls singing happy birthday to me (today is my birthday). I shed a tear when I saw the picture.

I am also adding Emilie's team soccer picture. They finished undefeated this year. She is all business in her photo (click on photos to see a bigger version).

Justine had her 1st piano recital yesterday. She did a great job! She is progressing quickly with her piano, and she enjoys playing. It is fun to watch her learn.

"If you lead, we will follow..."

2007-09-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Had a great day at church today. It was fast and testimony meeting and some great testimonies were born. Mike Stauffer bore his testimony for the 1st time ever. It was very cool!

The other day I was expressing some frustrations to Michelle about some of the things we haven't been doing very well lately in our family...things like family prayer, FHE, scripture study. She made the comment "If you lead, we will follow." It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was not a new principle to me, but certainly one I needed to be reminded of.

So, I will do my best start leading by examples in these areas.

Today Emilie learned in church that Jesus loves everybody, Justine learned about the Pentecost, and didn't catch what Maddie learned.

Developing Talents...

2007-09-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

With a pay raise comes the opportunity to get the kids into more stuff!

As mentioned earlier, Justine has taken up piano lessons again. She is progressing rapidly. She takes lessons from Sister Williams who lives up the street. She is doing great! We don't have a great piano (very out of tune) as it is a loaner from Michelle's mom and has seen better days, but she still sounds good. I wouldn't recognize a good tune if...well, I don't know, but I am not very musically gifted. Justine is also on an elite dance team, and is loving it. She is actually dancing with the 12-13 year olds (she is 10). It is a little pricey, but it is what she loves to do.

Emilie has started preschool 3 days a week. She is such a social individual, and it is a great release for her to be with other kids. Emilie is a also a star player on her soccer team. The Yellow Dragons are 6-0-1, and Emilie is averaging around 4 goals per game. She has a real nose for the ball and is relentless and extremely focused for a 4 year old. She will be a great athlete at something down the line. Look for her name in 13 years on a BYU athletic team! It's funny to watch the parents of the opposing teams get frustrated as she outworks the other team. I am way too competitive. I will make it a point to coach her T-ball team next year as she will be old enough to play in the spring. She is also in dance class (somewhere, I am not sure where...mom handles that). I just show up for recitals with the video camera.

Michelle and I are doing well. Busy as ever with work, homemaking, and church. Michelle attended the general Relief Society meeting tonight and had a great time. She has met a few new friends in the ward and is having a great time. She has gotten to know Amy Stauffer very well, whose husband serves as my 1st Counselor in the Young Mens organization. What a great family! They started coming back to church around 9 months ago after 15 years of inactivity. We love them and their family.

The photo above is a little showboating while on the Varsity/Venturer weeklong camp that we went on this summer. All the boys think I am uber cool because I can out-wakeboard them. It's about all I can do...I can hardly get up on a ski anymore!

Tomorrow we will start praying as a family for a missionary opportunity. Not long ago while in MN I met a great brother from St. Louis named Shannon Mahaffey. We were attending orientation for our company and we had the opportunity to team teach one of the fellas in our orientation group. What a great experience it was! As we taught him in the hallway of our hotel, he had many questions about the gospel, in particular the challenges that our youth face today. We did not have a Book of Mormon to give him so I gave him my "For the Strength of Youth" book. Anyway, Shannon mentioned to me that his family prays for 60 days specifically for missionary opportunities. It was such a wonderful thing that I wanted my family to feel that spirit. It turns out that Shannon was a counselor in the St. Louis Mission presidency. Stay tuned! A couple years ago, we sent some Books of Mormon to President Craig over in Spain as he presided there. That was a neat experience for our family.

Work is going well. We are working hard to build our opportunity funnel and we are having fun and closing some deals along the way.

San Francisco - VMWorld!

2007-09-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have been in San Francisco all week for the VMworld conference. I spend time in our booth at the conference talking to attendees and educating them about our product. Long days, sore feet and back! I go home tonight.

Greg Page (one of my former Priests in the Young Men's) received his mission call to Mesa AZ. Very exciting! He leaves in November.

Emilie scored a few more goals in her soccer game this week!

This is an older picture of the girls that I found. It looks a year and a half old.

The Blog Begins...

2007-09-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

The Rupprecht Blog is officially underway!

Lots has been going on with our family. Emilie (age 4) has learned to ride her bike this week. She is very proud! She really scoots around on that thing! She is a very active child. She started her 2nd season of soccer this week. She scored 5 goals in her first game. She loves to play. She is very aggressive and has a nose for the ball. Em also started pre-school this week over at Kathryn Morganegg's. She LOVES school!

Justine (age 10) went over the handlebars on her scooter and had to get 9 stitches in her chin. It was a pretty nasty gash. I was in MN at the time, but all reports were that she did great at the hospital. Justine also resumed her piano lessons this week. She has a natural talent for the piano, and I can't wait to have some piano music floating through the house.

Maddie (age 3) is growing up fast. She is a sweet little girl; she is not a morning person, however (like her dad).

I am doing good. I started a new job at a co. called Compellent Technologies. I am what's called a Storage Architect. I essentially do pre-sales with a counterpart here in town. So far I really enjoy it and we are ramping up the business. I cover Utah and Idaho.

Today Bro. Stauffer and I were invited to teach the Elder's Quorum. It was different being out of Young Men's for a week. We taught about becoming "Truly Converted". I really enjoy teaching with Bro. Stauffer; he is a great guy!

This week I will be heading out to San Francisco to attend VMworld, which is a technical conference. It should be fun to go out and see a little bit of SF. I spent quite a bit of time back there in 1999 when I worked for First Security Bank.