JAWinston

Success?

2011-11-15T09:22:00.001-08:00

Well, I guess I am pleased for now. At least for blogging purposes. Now to find an App for journaling more 'Top Secret' topics. Also, it would be nice to have a program that does it all, and a good App to accompany it.

Hopefully this will help me blog more.

Another 'TEST' Post

2011-11-15T09:17:00.001-08:00

So he looks like the image I zoomed in on was magnified. The other wasn't too bad. I wanted to try to post some pictures of people.

Centered.

Top.

Bottom

Is This the App?

2011-11-15T09:11:00.001-08:00

I am searching for an App to blog with. Most Apps I have found don't allow you to do what I want. You can't organize the photos the you want. This App let's you do that but I have noticed it stretches them funny. I guess the only way to find out is to actually post. This App is also suppose to be able to post videos but I haven't figured that out like I want.

So the picture I am using was of dinner a couple weeks ago.

Here it is again posted a little differently. Now to post. Oh, this App is called BlogSpace.

What I am really looking for is an App that you can attach pictures, videos, files, etc. to and post it to a blog, or NOT post it and keep it personal!

Dried Out Food

2011-01-30T15:30:00.000-08:00

Amanda was gifted with a Food Dehydrator this past Christmas. Below you will see some of the foods we have dried out. Bananas would be the favorite. The raisins were really good, they just took a week to dehydrate. I should have put a few store bought raisins for a comparison. The grapes were originally the big ones from Costco.

I did dry out some canned peaches, not the greatest. We also did some cranberries that we had in the freezer for several months, again, not the greatest.

If I get enough requests I will add a picture of the actual food dehydrator.

More Free Stuff!

2011-01-30T15:13:00.000-08:00

Remember the iPod Shuffle post? The one talking about how I got one for "free"? Well... Here are two more "free" items!

To be frank, the camera is "garbage" the flashlights work great! The camera was from another "free trial", the flashlights came from R.C. Willey. We got a call telling us about free pie, ice cream and something about batteries. Amanda answered the phone but Ella was being loud at the time so she didn't get the whole thing. The batteries, obviously, came with the flashlights.

So I had been waiting for the camera for several months now. Thought it would come in time to put it under the tree for Christmas but it ended up appearing a week or two ago. Took some pictures and tested it out. Wasn't impressed with it out of the packaging, wasn't impressed with the pictures or video. I wasn't really expecting much but hoped that a 7 mp camera would turn out decent pictures. NOT!

Now the flashlights felt kind of cheap to me but they work great! Thank-you R.C. Willey.

'War of the Worlds' ANYBODY?

2010-12-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

Anybody watch 'War of the Worlds'? Anybody thought it could have used a bit more of an explanation? Anybody like to read? Well... Anybody should read the book.

It is quite informative and good. The setting is in England, not the U.S., where everybody thinks the World revolves around. I was surprised by the similarities between the book and the movie though. As do most movies, it lacks a great deal of detail. Detail that helped explain things a bit more.

I found the description of the Martians quite interesting. Unlike humans, they don't have to 'waste' their time with eating and digesting. They don't have a digestive system at all. Why? Who needs to when you take the blood of your victims? After all, isn't that why living things eat? To produce blood? Which gives us the energy to go about from day to day? Yes, they inject their victims blood directly into themselves. They don't need sleep. Much like how our hearts never get sleep, they don't need sleep. In conclusion, they are basically brain, heart, and lungs. Their body is weak, especially when exposed to Earth's stronger gravity. It is their intellect and knowledge of mechanics that allows them to have power over us.

Oh, and that red plant that grew like a weed on steroids? From what I take from the book, it has nothing to do with blood. It is WATER, that causes its extraordinary growth, not blood. It is merely a native Martian plan that they brought, probably accidentally, and from further research, is what gives Mars its dull red color.

There is much more to be typed. If anybody is interested to know more, and doesn't want to read the book, let me know. I will be happy to share more.

5 YEARS!

2010-11-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

So Amanda had been planning this experience for a year or more (since before our 4 year anniversary! I thought it would be sooooo fun but it was expensive so it wasn't something that we could do just for a normal anniversary). This year I finally gave her the go ahead (not entirely true. He did say financially we could afford to do it, but I wasn't waiting for him to tell me it was okay to do this for our anniversary :) ). It was suppose to be a surprise but I figured it out before the day arrived. I would like to thank Amanda's Mom for making this possible. She came and watched Ella while we were away.

Here is just a quick run down of what happened...

Amanda had it scheduled a couple of months in advance. We were going to stay in the Anniversary Inn (a themed bed and breakfast!) closest to Temple Square. (There are two Anniversary Inns in town.) This way we could keep the car parked and walk to the various sites. Well, on the MORNING of the first day of our stay(actually within 2 hours of check-in), they called us and told us that due to construction they wanted to move us to their other site just a few minutes away, driving.

This was the itinerary of our Anniversary Getaway. We would stay 2 nights in the Anniversary Inn Bed and Breakfast, each night in a different themed room. On our first night we would eat at a restaurant that we had a $25 gift card for that we got on restaurant.com for $2. The second day of our getaway we would spend time at Temple Square visiting the sites. I wanted to tour the Beehive House especially. Then we would do a session at the Salt Lake Temple before going to dinner at The Roof Restaurant in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Our last day we would check out of the hotel and then I would spend the rest of the day with my mom while she was in town.

(I hope that Amanda will look through this post and put her thoughts in.) They are in italics

One of the nights we ate at 'The Roof', a restaurant on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Earlier that day we went to the Salt Lake Temple. Before that we did some Temple Square sight seeing. We ate at the Lion House Pantry, a cafeteria style restaurant (so good! The food was very filling and not very expensive), we toured the Beehive House, and we made sure we could find 'The Roof' restaurant before our reservations which was good because we ended up being there just on time. That is where the above picture is from.

This is a table that was near ours. I didn't think of taking a picture before we sat down so I had to take a picture of an empty table. After all, who would want to look at a picture of a messy table? This part I was able to keep a surprise. When I called and made the reservations I specifically requested to be near the window so that we could have a great view of temple square. I also made sure our reservations were late enough that we could see the Temple all lit up. We were also lucky and got to see the preparations for the annual Temple Square Christmas lights! They were working on them and for a bit parts of Temple Square was lit up too!

They had a pianist with a glued on smile. As you can see, the piano was unique (acrylic!). It was nice having a live pianist play in the background of our dinner. She was actually very good. She hardly used music and was able to hold a conversation with the meat carver while she played!

This restaurant was a gourmet buffet. The food was pretty good, nothing spectacular. They tended to have normal foods like pasta and meat dishes but they doctored them up with spiciness which I cannot handle normally let alone while pregnant. The big major part of the food was their dessert buffet! There was so many desserts to choose from! Different things too that Jared and I hadn't tried before like creme brulee and flan (I didn't try this). My favorite parts of the restaurant and probably what makes this restaurant such a great one is the live piano player and the view of temple square. Breathtaking!

ROMEO and JULIET SUITE

This was the breakfast included at the hotel. We stayed two nights. The food was the same but on the second morning I requested for both my drinks to be hot chocolate! The food was actually pretty good. We were each able to choose 2 beverages ranging from juice to cocoa, we had our own individual fruit parfaits, and then we shared a cinnamon roll and a croissant filled with ham and cheese.

My Juliet, she is so good to me! And you are to me, my Romeo!

I discussed ideas of making the room into a studio apartment. The bed was up on this balcony and there was a huge TV directly in front of it. To the back of us, under the balcony, was the tub and shower. It was really pretty!

SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON

This was the second room. The bed was in the tree. There was also a fish tank that was pretty even though they had only one color of fish. Yellow I believe.

Each room came complimentary with Sparkling Cider and Cheese Cake!

It was a good two night, three day trip. My wife thought I was loony. We all know she is right. I guess I was a bit blah at first. It was my first time sleeping away from Ella and the rooms were so decorated, it was a bit overwhelming for me. I warmed up though and was able to enjoy myself.

Well, there it is. It isn't much of an explanation but at least it is something. Hopefully Amanda will add some spice into it before anybody reads it. (spice, I don't know. More of an explanation, yes indead :) )

Ginkgo Petrified Forest

2010-10-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

My Father-in-Law also took me to the nearby Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. Who knew the desolate land of Central Washington was once occupied by big trees!

We went on a hike in this park while waiting for the Tour to start at the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility. The Ginkgo tree is all but extinct. I enjoyed this day with my Father-in-Law. THANKS!

Sometime during this fun filled day we had lunch at one of the Burger joints in the big town of Vantage. Now, I am not a big restaurant goer. Mainly because of money, but another reason is because I am not impressed with the food. It isn't anything special. I don't know if I was really hungry, didn't think I was, or what but this Chili Cheese Burger I had was quite scrumptious. In fact, I was wanting to go back. I still do, but the novelty has passed with time. I'm sure I might be able to break down and go again. Yes, it was that good.

If I Had a Windmill...

2010-10-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

Last month I had the opportunity to go to the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility with my Father-in-Law. It is located in Central Washington and is a pretty amazing site. We went up to the site twice. The second trip was so that we could go on the tour.

The facts I gleaned from the tour and the ones I have just looked up different. So instead of facts, let us consider them estimates.

From base to tip of the blade is around 351 ft. The foundation is anywhere from 25 to 32 ft. deep. The top is fully rotational, to an extent. (Eventually it has to unwind but can rotate in a circle a few times before having to reset itself.) The blades also can change their pitch. Both things are necessary because these beasts can not operate in winds exceeding 55 mph or below 9 mph. The winds in the area have been recorded to reach as high as 90 mph.

The ladder up is approximately 221 ft. up. In the Windmill we were taken in, while on the tour, there was a small elevator. It goes slower then if you were to climb up. Also, it is unable to go clear to the top because the 'tower' narrows the further up it reaches. The elevator is there, from what I can remember, for 'important people', news crews, when it was getting built and they did a story on them, and training. Or most likely because they were itching to spend money.

The blades are approximately 125 ft. long. This blade was damaged on the trip. A crane operator dropped it. I wish I could remember how much it cost. Most the parts came from Europe, Denmark I believe.

There are 149 operating turbines. Each one has their own 'weather station' at the top that allows the turbine to 'follow' the wind. Watching the blades in the winds can be eerie. They are quite flexible.

One turbine produces energy enough for around 460 houses a year. It is nice to know about this clean source of energy but we need to be careful about it also. We wouldn't want to change the rotation of the Earth!

"Ooops!"

2010-02-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

So I just signed off of Skype with Ella. She was on the PC, I was on the Mac. I couldn't hear or see her so Amanda typed what was going on. When I signed off of Skype Ella goes: "Ooops!" than she goes "More. More." I LOVE MY ELLA!

A Stroll with Ella

2010-01-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 16, Ella and I took a little stroll. Amanda was out grocery shopping and I was at home with Ella. Since we watch all our TV on the internet, and because we got a sweet TV now, I have been wanting to find a way to hook our MacBook up to the TV. Amanda told me I should take Ella with me to 'Best Buy' and check out my options. I was playing the Nintendo Wii at the time. I decided that was a great activity to do with Ella. I don't know if Amanda was thinking I would take the stroller or not but I decided against it. So Ella put her coat and boots on, and I put my jacket and shoes on, and off we went.

I am amazed, and pleased to state that Ella walked the whole way, her hand in mine. Ok, to be totally truthful I lifted her over a small wall and a couple of puddles but that was it. The rest of the way she happily walked, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even after the 0.7 miles she enjoyed getting into things at the store. Yes, 0.7 MILES! Here is a map to prove it.

Point "A" is where we live, Point "B" is 'Best Buy'.

Car Accident!

2009-12-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

So the day before my birthday somebody was nice enough to give me a gift. Here it is:

So I know this entry is over 2 months late but I told Dad I was going to post the pictures.

All of us were in the car. We were pulling out of our little apartment complex when this happened. We had to cross a busy road and there isn't really a safe way to do it unless you take a right, go down the road a ways, and if you get lucky flip a U. I thought I could go so I started. Another car showed up so I stopped. The car behind us thought we went and gunned it, thus hitting us. For being so close, he hit us hard. It was a couple of "punk" dressed kids but they were surprisingly good about it all.

Well, now it is fixed. It may have possibly fixed our alignment issues too because the last time we checked it is much better. Before it couldn't be fixed with shimmies, now, apparently, it can. I will have to show you the difference later because I don't have the information with me right now.

Did You Know?

2009-12-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Take a close look at this picture.

Was I the only one that missed that Nathan had a go-tee? The funny thing is...

I was THERE!

Lost and GOTTEN!

2009-12-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

So several weeks ago we were up visiting Grandma and Grandpa Winston's. Amanda was preparing for the day in the bathroom. Ella was helping by watching her rings. She had them in her hands and was going towards Amanda when she stumbled. One, or more, of the rings flew out of her hands. One of them, yes, it would be the wedding ring, landed in the air vent that comes out from the floor. This air vent did not have one of those 'traps'. It was just a tube that acted like one of the slides you go down at a waterpark.
I tried reaching my arm down to get it. I was able to get my entire arm down put the angle was too steep. The ring slid further down than what even my "monkey arms", as Nathan once called them, could reach. We also tried a vacuum. It was Grandpa's idea and was a good idea, but didn't work. Luckily they had a crawl space. It was quite clean down there. I ended up having to undo the tubing from the vent and retape it back up. Anyways, here is some pictures of the experience.

Christmas is Coming!

2009-11-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, I admit, I have been a bad boy this year. With Christmas coming up and all I don't expect much. It is said when you are a bad boy you get a lump of coal. If that is what I deserve so be it. Since I am admitting, and not denying, my bad behavior this past year I think I should at least get to choose the lump of coal I should get. Besides, I think I have a good record up until now. So Santa, I have gone to the liberty of taking a picture of the lump of coal I would like. This picture can be found below.

A 55 pound lump of coal from the Titanic. Cost: $500,000.

*Did you know that the only artifact you can actually buy from 'Titanic' is coal?

Participation REQUIRED!

2009-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

What is this look? You tell me!

Mohawks!

2009-10-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

iWeb

2009-07-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

I need some opinions. I have been exploring iWeb. I would like to know which blog format is preferred. Please state the one you prefer and the reason why. I appreciate anyone who would take the time to do this. Here is the link: http://web.me.com/jawinston/JAWinston

Gardening

2009-07-27T09:10:00.001-07:00

This is our first tomato. Granted it should be the size of a fist, but that is beside the point. It tasted D-licious! The skin is tough though. We have also harvested two more since this one. They were both a bit smaller, one was even smaller than a grape. They both tasted good, the skin was still tough. There are a few more ready to be harvested, plus more growing.

We expect we aren't getting the size we are suppose to because of the fact of the scorching hot sun. While at the 'Barnes' Family Reunion' they missed out on some badly needed water. Yes, we did have somebody watching them, we aren't plant killers.

The zucchini and squash plants weren't as tough as the tomato plant. The stems were split and we ended up uprooting them and planting some more. Which took at least half the time to sprout as the earlier ones and are doing quite well.

Temples

2009-06-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

On June 16 we decided to go on our monthly Temple trip. Amanda's Mom and sister were visiting so it worked out well. Danielle (her sister) watched Ella while Amanda, Sheri (her Mom), and I went to the Temple. We, being in the Jordan River Temple District and it being the closest Temple to us, decided to go there. We did not know that it was closed. At first we just thought the front entrance was closed, since that is what the sign said. It also told us to enter in by the back entrance. We went around to the back entrance and that is when we discovered it was closed.

Not knowing when another opportunity would arise to go to the Temple this month, we decided to go in search for another. Upon previous experience, I knew there was another Temple further West. So that is what we did. Turns out it was the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. (Anybody know how to pronounce that name? Please let me know.) Anybody recognize this Temple? It's new. In fact, right now is the Open House. This certainly would not do. Sure, it would be cool to go to the Open House but we weren't looking for that, we were looking to "attend" the Temple. So what did we do? Well, being in Utah and all, can you guess? We went in search of another Temple.

I knew the Draper Temple just opened but thought it was still by appointment only that you could attend. We decided that they wouldn't turn us away if we went so we did. The Draper Temple was on the opposite end of where we were. I had never been there but knew round about (very round about) where it was. I knew it was up along the mountains. I know, there are a lot of mountains here but let's give me the benefit of the doubt that I knew which mountains. (Even if I don't know the names of them.) I started heading that direction and could see something I thought was the Temple, but wasn't sure because of the lighting, it was during the early afternoon so "no" the Temple wasn't lit up like a beacon. Amanda called them and asked about needing an appointment and also the directions. (The address to the Draper Temple is a street name, not a grid coordinate, why they don't make things easy and stay with the grid system is beyond me, and my wife!) We were fairly close to it when she got them on the line. ...and given time I'm sure I could have figured it out. To make a long story short, this Temple was opened but... The next Session that was open wasn't until another hour or more and we had an appointment to get to that afternoon. We ended up doing some other work, which ended up cool because Sheri (Amanda's Mom) had some family names that she let me do.

All in all, I'm glad Utah has so many Temples and we were able, on the THIRD attempt, to keep our goal going strong!

I decided I wanted to add more.

One of my goals is to go to as many Temples as possible. I try to get the little Temple Schedules each Temples have available too. The Draper Temple's pamphlets were on order and were not available at the time so we'll have to go again, not just for the pamphlet but for pictures, to go other places in the Temple, and because it was just COOL! We didn't see the Oquirrh Mountain Temple up close, fairly close, only about a street away, but the Draper Temple is really stunning. I had the chance of walking around it. The houses there, oh, I mean MANSIONS, around the Temple are quite an eye catcher as well. The whole area was quite impressive, not unique for anywhere a Temple is placed though.

Everytime I type I don't feel like I get my meaning across and it bugs me. It is a big reason why I don't write/type more. I try to get over it though.

*DISCLAIMER* (I think that is what this is called.)

The pictures of the Temples were taken from LDS.org. Above the pictures of the Temples were directions on how to download the pictures themselves so I'm sure they are "ok" to use. I still wish I could put my own pictures up but alas, I didn't take any of the Temples. Yet, another project I would like to get done.

iPhoto

2009-06-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

I have been working on iPhoto for at least 30 minutes a day, usually more, for a while now. I am trying to get it organized. What a PAIN! A suggestion for all, decide how you want to organize things when you FIRST start out. It is so much easier.

Alignment Issues!

2009-05-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

So let me explain. The above is a diagram of our car's alignment. The green is good. The red, well, it isn't so good. I added the yellow "tire" to illustrate the problem. It is an over-exaggeration but it gets the point across. Let me start with when I took the car in.

I took our car to "Firestone" mainly for an oil change, and a general tune-up. Over $600 later I took it home. The tires were wearing funny. I noticed the outer edges of each tire were wearing out faster than than the rest on each tire. I knew we needed new ones soon but was planning on keeping them on a bit longer. The guy took me out and showed me the wear on them and explained why it was. Which was because of the alignment problem. I asked him how the alignment could be off so bad. He asked if we ran over a curb or something. It took me a while, a few minutes at least, and than I remembered...

The alignment problem started way back in September of 2008. We were going to visit Amanda's family in Royal City, WA when I decided it was fun to clobber a coyote. We turned off the highway and were less than a 20 minutes away from her parent's house. A coyote then thought it would be fun to jump out in front of us. What did I do? Well, I didn't swerve. No sir. Most animals decide to take a sharp left or maybe a sharp right but did this smart coyote do either? NO! He decided he would rather keep on a straight path and be BULLDOZED by a new 2007 Toyota Corolla! DEAD ON too! We hear a "clunk" and than a minute or two later, another "clonk" in the back passenger side of the car. It was late, around midnight or so. I kept on driving, thinking what good would it do to stop anyways.

That night I check it out. I didn't see anything but some hair underneath the car. The next morning Amanda's Dad noticed that the bumper was damaged. The damaged occurred under the bumper, where it is hard to see. (Thank-goodness.) With tape and some Gorilla Glue Amanda's Dad was able to fix it for us. (Thanks!)

Well, now I'll take you back to "Firestone". It is now April, just over half a year, when we discover the real extent of the damage the crazy coyote inflicted on our car. I asked how to correct the alignment problem and for how much. He said that they could put some shimmies into it to help straighten it out a bit, which would help but the number would still be in the red. (Refer back to the first paragraph.) This would cost around $75. Or, we could buy the whole part and fix the problem for a mere $400. The guy at "Firestone" said that if it was his car he would just shimmy it. Anybody care to put their 2 cents in? Please leave a comment.

We don't drive much anymore. Work here is close enough that I walk, now ride a bike thanks to Amanda's Papa. (Thanks!) So the car is usually just sitting. Because of this I decided to forgo both options for now and keep a close eye on things.

Quick up-date on becoming a Utard. Sadly, our Washington Tabs expire this month. This will force me to switch license plates and become a full fledged Utard. VERY SAD DAY! Well, let me show a little more optimism. It won't be too bad if I don't stay a Utard for long. I can experience being a Utard for a while, but hopefully only a very small handful of years.

"Utard"! Well, Not Quite.

2009-05-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the other day I registered our Corolla here in Utah. (Here, you have to get a State Safety Test and an Emissions Test every other year.) Over $200 later, I am almost a full fledged Utard! I already have a Utah Driver's License from when I first arrived. (My Washington Driver's License expired within a month of moving here.) I haven't yet put on the license plates on because our Washington Tabs do not expire until the end of next month. I'm trying to put off becoming a "Utard" for as long as possible.

Thank-You!

2009-04-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

I must type, I am a fan of how Apple packs their products! The small clear plastic box below contains a 1 GB iPod Shuffle, dock, earphones, directions to it, and the other paper product you get with all new purchases. It's not just the fact that Apple packs it in tight, but it is how they do it that impresses me. It makes me feel like I have a good quality, expensive product, (which it isn't cheap!), but still, I feel 'high class' in a way. Am I alone in my thinking?

Oh, and by the why, this is what you get in the mail when you agree for a 30-day free trial membership with... *Undisclosed Service*. Am I bad? I don't see why I would be, they offered, I took it. So to them I thank.

NBA

2009-02-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night I went to my very first NBA game. President Chad Evans, of the Elder's Quorum was able to get tickets for cheap. I was able to get a ride with the Thomas's. There was a good number of us that went, 15+. We sat in two main groups. I actually was a deserter and never sat in my assigned seat. (Nobody was there when we arrived and I stuck with the Thomas's.

Aunt Pat has an add in the Jazz's Program that I showed the Thomas's. Pat was coming home from a business trip in Portland. The Thomas's were kind enough to go pick her up at the airport after the game and take her home.

The Utah Jazz played the Memphis Grizzlies. The Jazz won ofcourse. The arena, or whatever they call it, was impressive. They had a large remote blimp. They threw parachutes down from the ceiling, with small prizes. Streamers came down at the end of the game. The "Bear" mascot, for the Jazz, sling shot small basketballs way high. (If he aimed for me, he could have made it.) He was also a bowling ball and was slung across the court by three men. They were all on one end of the court, two of them were strapped to the ends of the bungee and ran as far and fast as they could while the third held onto the "Bear" mascot as long as he could. He would than let go and the Bear would fly across the court, on a slider.

I never really could understand the announcer, not because of the announcer himself but I couldn't understand what came out of the speakers. We had "aerial" view seats. (They were just a few rows from the very top.)

Looking down on the court and seeing the NBA players warm-up, play, stretch, etc. brought more a reality to the whole thing. I tried to put myself in their shoes, what would it be like to play a game for a living? Wierd! They get paid big bucks, even the "benchwarmers". CRAZY!

I have now been to a MLB and now an NBA game. Ofcourse they were not "big" games, but they were professional nonetheless.

NOTES: MLB team = Atlanta Braves NBA team = Utah Jazz

Have You Seen My Sole?

2008-12-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

Who knew that participating in the Turkey Bowl could be so hard on the soul! (I mean, sole.) I was debating on even going to our Ward Turkey Bowl. It was a yes, no kind of thing. Obviously I did end up going. It was a good thing too. If I didn't go there would have been an odd number of players. There were 8 people that showed up. This was my first ever Turkey Bowl. It was a good experience. It felt good, for the most part. I hadn't done anything real physical for about 3 years! I played without a sole for an hour or more. Afterwards we went to a friend's, the Thomas's, place for breakfast. Amanda has a picture of them on her blog.

We spent Thanksgiving at Aunt Julie's and Uncle Stuart's place. It was a tummy buster. Ella even ate some jell-o, mashed potatoes, and some yam/sweet potato. I also participated in their annual sport event. This year, though it could be every year, was soccer. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to play because I was really sore from football. I played anyways and it hurt but was able to loosen up enough.

I hurt for a week afterwards. I had work the following day and luckily it wasn't too busy. I was able to stay sitting for the most part.

There was a much better way to share this but I thought the need to post it, sooner than later, was more important. (Considering it was eons ago when this all happened. I apologize for that.)

I Showed IT Who was Boss!

2008-11-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

I knew there was a reason for keeping the half ton slab of wood! Let's start at the beginning. (Please clarify this story with my wife.)

In preparation for our, my wife and I, life together (sorry about the grammatical errors) we bought a bed. The bed was a decent deal but it came with a very large, and HEAVY, slab of wood. We used it between the mattresses for a while, it made the bed more firm, although I didn't feel much of a difference except where it ended. My back would hurt when I woke up in the mornings.

When we moved to another apartment we decided to use it as a desktop. As you can see below we place it on top of a desk, file cabinet, and even some boxes, which you can not see. I wish I had a picture of just the slab of wood, it was impressive. (Emphasis on WAS!)

When we found out about the job here in Utah we didn't have much time to go through things like we wanted. We only had a few weeks and both Amanda and I were still working, and ofcourse we had Ella to worry about. Which there was no regrets, just when one of us were at work the other one would try to pack but Ella wanted some attention. Needless to type, we didn't get much done. My point, we took most everything with us instead of getting rid of things that we could, and should have.

(Thinking about it, you can ignore the above paragraph because I still would have brought the half ton slab of wood with us.)

When we arrived here in Utah we did not have our own place. Aunt Pat was kind enough to allow us to live with her until we found a place. She even provided storage space! (THANK-YOU Aunt Pat!) We were able to fit all our belongings in her garage. I do not like asking people for help much, among other things, so Amanda, Ella, Aunt Pat, and I unloaded the truck ourselves. (I would have done it all myself if it was possible.)

May I pose a question? Does anyone get the hint that I have rather ill feelings for this slab? Ok, now let me tell you why.

There was only a few things left to unload from the truck. One was the slab of wood, ofcourse. Another was a bedroom dresser, (THANK-YOU Sheri!). The slab of wood was leaning against the wall of the truck. I had one end of the dresser and Amanda had the other. Walking with the dresser created the truck to sway and the half ton slab of wood landed on my leg. (If only I had a better way with words to share this with you.) Amanda yelled out "Watch OUT!" I asked "What?" but it was too late. It slid down the lateral side of my left calf. BOY did it sting! Amanda felt really bad, although there was no reason for it. With the help of Amanda we finished. Except for the stinging I was fine, until I didn't continue using it. I iced it, at the demand of my wife, and took it easy afterwards. When I tried walking after that, I limped. It left a big bruise and it felt really cool too! (I'll have to ask my wife to expand on this story, she has a much better way with words.)

I'm making this entry too long, I apologize. Getting right to the point, I used a wedding gift (THANK-YOU Foresters!) to saw the slab of wood in pieces. I bought some Gorilla Glue and some screws and used my power drill, that came with the saw, to make a book/shoe shelf. Seen below.

We tried looking for a good sturdy bookshelf at a store but couldn't find a satisfactory candidate, that didn't cost an arm and a leg. I've always wanted to build things with wood and this is my "first" project. I still have all my fingers and the shelf looks half decent, pretty successful in my opinion.

The Move

2008-09-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is the truck the Winston Family rented. This 16 foot truck was a 2008 model with 8662 miles on it. I enjoyed the experience of driving something big while towing something as well. With the help of my wife we were able to transverse the states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Utah to get to our destination.

I want to thank my wife for being the navigator and helping me watch our car being towed, and Ella, my baby for sleeping so much.

My Work.

2008-09-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I am kind of doing these blog entries in reverse order. Aunt Pat took us around and I was able to get a picture of the place I was going to work. The tallest building is the actual hospital. Any guesses on what floor Radiology is? Amanda, Ella, and I tried to go see my new boss but she was out sick.

This other picture I took so you could see the building I will be working in up close.

Utah, Here We Come!

2008-08-31T20:08:00.001-07:00

Going to Utah!

A Combination

2008-08-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ella and I were enjoying ourselves while Amanda was making it possible for us to continue living, by working at her job at 'Learning is Fun'.

She was making more noise but when she saw the camera, she focused on it instead of talking more. The camera and I were safe, that time*. Later on she did end up slobbering on me. *(Notice the big bubble she blows, I had to protect the camera before the bubble became a slobber bomb.)

Ella enjoys flying. ...and Mommy and Daddy enjoy watching her fly!

Ella gets bored easy so we have to change things up pretty often.

Well there you have it. I have thrown out all my cards, 3 videos!

Stake Wide Cancellation

2008-08-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we got a call from a member of the Elder's Quorum Presidency. He told us that Church was cancelled on Sunday. Not only our Ward, but the entire Stake! Apparently 30 young women were "taken out" by the norovirus at Girl's Camp. Norovirus can be deadly to little ones because of dehydration. It consists of diarrhea, vomiting, etc.

Come to find out a friend, Sheri, saw the homecoming. She was leaving the Temple and noticed a horrific smell. She described it as smelling like dead fish or throw-up. Girls were laying on the ground, there were cleaning supplies in some of their hands. She didn't know what to make of it until we told her that we had a Stake-wide cancellation. That is when she told us the story.

Extended Family Walk

2008-08-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

For those of who were not there, I have included this clip for you to enjoy. It really isn't much but some may enjoy it.

Ella Smiles

2008-08-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is an attempt to catch Ella smiling. This has been brought about because of Mom Winston wanting to see her smile. (Sorry, it's not her biggest, but it's there!)

UPS Loader NO MORE!

2008-07-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to type that I will longer longer be loading, or unloading, for UPS. In memory of my loading days I have posted the above picture. I honestly will miss loading. I enjoy the game Tetris and loading was just a life sized game of Tetris, except you felt the weight of the pieces! It was satisfying work to build a solid wall. There are many things I won't miss about loading. The rollers, the jams, boxes that would be broken and the contents falling out, and getting backed-up are a few.

I was asked a couple of weeks ago if I wanted to go pick-off on the Yellow Belt. It is on the opposite side of the building where I have been working. I will be separating boxes into 6 different trailers. During Peak Season, when I picked-off for the belt I loaded on, I separated boxes into 3 trailers.

I was able to pick-off on Thursday and Friday of last week to get some practice. This week I am on vacation, YEA! Next week I go back to picking-off. I will not get a raise increase, because I had already received it earlier, but it is a change.

Gloves

2008-07-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

These pictures are in order from oldest to newest. My wife bought me the first two pairs of gloves. Work bought me the last pair. Work actually bought a pair for every employee, all of which were XL. I was just happy I didn't have to spend money on another pair. After wearing them for a week I realize that, though they were free, I am not so sure about them. Because they are too big they cause my fingers to get blisters. Luckily they aren't bad blisters, mostly just a layer of skin, no puss. Gloves are nice, they keep my hands clean but they also make my hands stink!

2008-06-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

My sneaky Wife snapped a quick photo while Ella and I were sleeping, with MY phone. Yesterday we came home from church, changed our clothes, Amanda fed Ella, and took a "family nap" on the couch.

Oh, and when we were coming home the traffic light closest to our apartment wasn't working. We followed after the fire truck next to us went. Come to find out, when we arrived home, the power was out. The car thermometer read 101 degrees when we got out of Church. With the power being out we couldn't turn, what little of an air-conditioner we have, on. Luckily it was surprising, to me at least, that it wasn't too unbearable in the apartment, considering the over 100 degree weather outside.

Pet Peeve

2008-06-30T00:40:00.000-07:00

It bugs me when people do not leave some sign that they have been to someone's blog. A simple, quick comment is better than nothing. It gives the blogger reassurance and helps motivate them to continue. I am not singling anybody out because there are many who do it. I am not just blogging about my blog either. Please do not take offense, just be sure to leave some kind of comment, as a sign that you have read the blog.

What to Type.

2008-06-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

I am really at a loss on what to type. Amanda has Ella covered in the other blog, which I include some comments of my own in. Since Ella is really the focus of life there isn't really anything else to type about. Any ideas? Please comment.

Am I Willing to Relocate?

2008-06-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

I have filled out several applications, whether by e-mail or online, for months now. Republic, Washington was my last lead, or potential, in getting a job in X-ray. That was a little over a month ago.

This morning I received an e-mail from Salisbury, Maryland. Amanda made the comment about "why would I put in an application to somewhere I had to relocate if I wasn't willing to relocate". I will keep the Maryland situation up-to-date on this here blog.

Back to Work.

2008-06-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to be able to be home with MY family for an entire week! (Emphasis on MY because on June 9, 2008 at 9:47 pm a new branch of the Winston family has begun!) Ella JoAnn has officially debuted in our family. For more information please go to my Wife's blog. (If you find nothing, please leave a comment letting her know she needs to update it and that 1st time babies should not be used as an excuse!)

Having been off a full week I get a good 'back to work' surprise! Today I get to go to work a half an hour early and get to get slammed by Benjamin News. Benjamin News is a book company and likes to send lots of books through UPS. Packages are around 30 lbs. It really isn't bad when the packages get sent alone and at a steady pace but it sure becomes a REAL pain when other sized and weighted boxes come along with them, and/or they come all at once down the conveyor belt.

All in all UPS has been a good place to work. The insurance is GREAT! I just pay Union Dues and insurance for MY entire family is paid for. I get pretty good time off. I got paid for staying home with MY family! The only downside is what the labor does to the body. I just hope I get out of it without permanent back damage.

* Just a note. I tried to post a picture of Ella but ran into problems. Will try again later.

* This picture was added on Thursday, June 19. Sorry for the delay.

(3 days after the original post.)

Work Pants

2008-06-05T12:01:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know, which I can't think of anybody who would come to my blog that doesn't, I work at UPS. I mostly load packages into trailers of semi-trucks. During the Summer the trailers are like green houses. They collect the heat throughout the day. During the Winter, they are like refrigerators. Obviously one would dress appropriately for the different Seasons. I happen to work in the evenings and am the one who sets up the trailers in my work area. This being stated, I get to open the trailers and release the hot, or cold air from the trailers. By the time the packages start coming the atmosphere in the trailers have had the time to balance out a little.Now that I've explained a little about work I want to share the real reason for this entry. Sometime at the beginning of this past winter I asked my Dad if he had any old jeans I could use for work. I wanted to stay somewhat warm but did not want to buy a replacement for some other pants I had. They took a beating and I decided to toss them. My Dad did give me an old pair of his pants and that is what I used, and continue to use.

They lasted a few months but ofcourse the wear and tear was getting to them. Winter was not over and I did not have another replacement. I needed these to last. I decided to fix them as I had fixed my suit pants when I was on my Mission. Duck Tape! Why Duck Tape? It is less hassle than a needle and thread. At the top is a picture of what my pants look like now, after several patch-ups with Duck Tape and also needle and thread. As great as Duck Tape is, it wouldn't get the job done with the long tear from the knee down. Now this picture isn't the same thing as seeing it in person. but it will have to do.

The second picture, below, is the same pants just turned inside-out so you can learn how to fix-up your own articles of clothing.
Oh, one more thing. Like I mentioned before, I did use needle and thread. That lasted one day. I admit, I could have sewn it better. I could have sewn it in multiple places but it takes tedious time. I decided to try the staple. So my pants are fixed with staples, 3 of them, Duck Tape, and the thread is still there, for decoration.

Also, just yesterday a co-worker asked if I washed my pants. Ofcourse I said "No.". He didn't think so because he thought the wash would shred them to pieces. Which is why I CAN'T wash them.

Disappointed.

2008-05-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm quite disappointed. I was at my parent's scanning hard copies of photos into my computer and now I am noticing lines on many of them. I guess the scanner is going out. I am going to have to re-scan all the pictures. Yes, quite disappointing.

In today's age I think it is better to have digital copies of pictures than hard copies. Digital copies are easier to store, takes up less space to store, can be edited, and can also be printed into hard copies when needed.

Glimpses

2008-05-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

I'm the kind of person that doesn't think about stuff until it happens. Every once in a while I catch "glimpses". One of those "glimpses" happened yesterday. My wife and I were sitting on the couch and I looked at her. I saw her face and... it is hard to explain. I realized that I was married, my wife is beautiful, this is my life (for eternity). It played out better in my mind. Similar "glimpses" happen with Baby Winston #1 as well, just not as strong, as of yet.

3.5 Weeks.

2008-05-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

My wife reminds me that we have less than three and a half weeks until Baby Winston #1 arrives. Now that really isn't much time. Baby Winston #1 could even come sooner.

Why?

2008-05-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

What is wrong with businesses these days? Where did a little common courtesy go in returning phone calls and other inquiries? I guess one can expect being ignored or forgotten a few times but this is getting ridiculous. I have been very polite thus far but I'm beginning to think it has been too polite. My strategy has got to change. I will wait another week to see if my last set of inquiries will bring forth fruit but next week this "Nice Guy" will be no longer!

Moving On.

2008-05-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here watching the classic show "Macgyver", until I go to work this evening at UPS. Today I spent most of my time on the internet applying to Radiological Technologist jobs all over the United States. I would have also tried applying to jobs outside of the United States as well but am unable to at this point due to current circumstances. I graduated from Apollo College about 5 months ago. The need to stick with UPS is almost over due to Baby Winston #1's coming arrival. Sure, it would be extremely nice to keep UPS benefits but the time to move on with life is drawing ever closer. I'm itching for change and though Baby Winston #1 will be a huge one, I'm ready to move on.

Did You Know?

2008-05-18T21:29:00.001-07:00

If you are looking at this blog you might want to think about clicking on the link to my Wife's blog. Her's is much more interesting and I have also added a few of my comments in bold and italicized. Enjoy!

Just Looking.

2008-05-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

I was looking at my blog after I put the above picture on it and realized the the above picture matches my color scheme quite well. I must type that it looks better, to me at least, now that it has more entries in it.

Frustrating!

2008-05-15T12:53:00.001-07:00

I don't know what I think about this blog template I have here. I am constantly going through the choices and can't find anything I like. It is pretty frustrating!