Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday to the Hubs!

Let's take a little walk down memory lane in celebration...
well at his age, it's a LONG walk :)

This was actually just a random group of pictures hanging out in my blog archive.
His complete picture history is stored on the laptop that melted down.
Shayla assures me she will rescue all the pictures on it when she gets home.
So, in the meantime  enjoy...

Cutie!

Prom Date!
Rocking the quintessential 70's powder-blue Tux...



Handsome Scholarship Recipient!

Missionary!

Missionary on P-day!

Missionary serving as best man at a wedding!





Engaged to the woman of his dreams!
(Right honey?)

BYU Graduate!


MBA Graduate!





Business Man!

Husband, Dad, PopPop...

We love you!

Catching Up

Gentle Reader,

I have all kinds of blog posts swirling around in my head. But this move, plus the time change, plus the humidity, plus the flurry of activity right before we left, plus the red-eye flight with a cat on my lap yowling from one end of the country to the other, has left me a bit fatigued. What with the piles of boxes to be unpacked and the house to get in order, I still have miles to go before I sleep.  But in the meantime, here's a little of what's been going on in our world:

We packed up our California house and then waited with baited breath in the empty shell of our former home, 

for our buyers to wrap up the financing and close the deal.

And they did. And we moved into a hotel.

The lovely and hospitable San Vicente Inn right in our own backyard.

Here you see Brother McBride giving Sam the Eagle Challenge.

Then Sam came home from his High Adventure in Sequoia and Jenny Lakes and parts thereabouts

and we held his Eagle Court of Honor.

This was an accomplishment in itself --many thanks to the kind Scouting Moms

who helped me with refreshments and set-up. And the many kind and thoughtful ward members who helped with the planning and technical set-up on one week's notice.

And here you see his fearless leader, Wurzel preparing to present him with the actual Eagle Badge.

And that's his proud Mama standing by.

After the Eagle Court of Honor and some tearful good-byes, we zipped off to the San Diego Airport to

catch the red-eye to New York City.

Sam and the cat are portraying how we all felt after our exhausting journey.

Shane looks like he's in shock.

We were all happy to see our new house.

And begin the work of turning it into a home.

The craft room will have to wait--it's low on the priority list.

The front entry.

The kitchen looking into the breakfast nook.

Andy's office--he's pretty happy about it.

By the way kids, Dad got a letter published in the Wall Street Journal!

It came out the day we arrived in Connecticut. 

You can see it here.

It's about two of his favorite topics:

Italy and gelato.

The yard is a little over-grown but these hydrangeas are blooming beautifully.

And this my friends, is going to be my new garden spot.

Some intrepid raspberries and blueberries are  growing here.

I have some work to do but look at that lush

forest in the background! We are a little partial to green so I think we

will be able to adapt to our new home.

And They Call It Puppy Love

Meet the newest member of the Gale Family

This little fellow was rescued with his litter mates from

a dumpster.

 They were only a day old and it was on a 100 degree day last August!

He's our little dumpster doggie.

We were all pretty surprised to see Dad's reaction: snuggling? baby talk? letting the puppy lick his face?

Turns out he's a "Dog Person"...
Who knew?

So, any suggestions for a name?



Recent Conversation

Dad (to Sam): So, you're squared away for life?

Sam: Yep--I'm all set! I've got the rest of my life all planned out!

Dad:  Very funny. I mean for the Scout Board of Review--are you Star or Life?

Sam: Thanks for taking such an active interest in my scouting.

Shane: I'm going to be 1st Class. I caught up with Dad!

Sam: Oh, I outrank you now Dad. I guess you'll have to salute me.

Dad: Yeah, yeah. I'm over here crying my eyes out over that.

Sam: Well, when the world is ending and you're left with just a piece of rope to save your life--too bad you won't know what to do.

Her Father's Daughter

Since Father's Day is tomorrow, at family scripture tonight we talked about how Nephi was born of goodly parents and taught somewhat in all the learning of his father.

Shayla: So Dad, do you have any wisdom to impart to us?

Me: His life is his sermon

Shayla: Oh, a cautionary tale I see!

Dad: Hey!

Me: See they have been taught in the learning of their father.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Along with all the other adjustments to relocating to a new state, comes the adjustment to the cost of living. People here cheerfully refer to it as the "Sun Tax". Personally, I would like a little less sun and I'll keep some of that money thank you very much.

But--here we are.

So, the electric bill came the other day sending my guy into a frenzy. He was shocked and appalled at the high price we have to pay to light our way in the dark. He tossed the bill onto the counter and began the war on waste. He blustered up and down the halls looking for any stray light or fan that might be functioning without humans in the vicinity.

He took a short break from this frenzy of activity to

research the cost of electricity in our last home and do a cost comparison. He was even more distressed to find out that California rates are FOUR TIMES HIGHER!

I think he would have been better off not knowing that.

As the assault on frivolous electrical use continued, he asked for a schedule of our daily comings and goings so he could set the thermostat to only be on when we are here.

My schedule of comings and goings took two pages--and that was just Monday.

Being the dedicated accounting and finance guy that he is, he managed to distill that into a very delicate ballet of cool air consumption. Precision tuned to cool us only at the bare minimum.

He put the family on notice that there would be no more frolicking in the cool breezes of unrestrained air conditioning. No more frivolous sitting in lighted rooms.

We are all team players.

We want to be helpful.

We want Dad's forehead vein to stop pulsating.

And so we are all on board with the new campaign to lower the electric bill.

In fact, every prayer offered yesterday--from the blessing on the food to our final family prayer--included a humble plea for help with our endeavor.

Today when Sam was studying science he had a eureka moment,

a light went on in his head. And someone snapped: "Turn that off."

Overheard

The boys were all wrestling with Dad...

Dad: "You want a piece of me?" (his favorite fighting challenge)
Shane: "NO--I want all of you. Then make another batch and I'll take some more!!"

Dad vs The Tree

This year, we decided to try the U-Cut experience to get our tree. Here you see Sam with the Ten Foot Pole searching for the perfect tree.

Shayla is doing her Mary Poppins impersonation.
After traipsing all over the lot, we found the perfect tree--
right next to where we parked.

Dad was not happy that they would not allow the use of chainsaws.
Because a twelve foot tree has a really big trunk.
After sawing, and sawing and sawing, the youngsters tried to help
by pushing the tree over.


Finally, after more sawing and sawing and sawing,
Dad got the tree over.

This is Dad returning the wimpy little saw they forced him to use.

He really didn't enjoy the U-Cut Experience in spite of the hopeful tree-shaped sign.

Dad did vanquish the foe and we somehow managed to wrestle the tree onto the top of the car.

It was all worth it!

Local Amenities

Now that we are Washouglians, we are getting to know our new town.

We were thrilled to see this shop close by. We can surprise Dad with that kitty couch he's been hoping for this Christmas!

(Of course he assumes it's furniture made out of cats)

Destruction...Construction

Here you see Dad's latest project --the cabin had a bathroom split between two small rooms. A bathtub and counter in one, a toilet and sink in the other. Dad decided to make them into two complete bathrooms so there would be more 'facilities' when we are all here together. So, first it required tearing out the toilet, sink, shower etc. and taking up the flooring--including the sub-flooring because there had been some water damage.

Here you see one of the completed bathrooms. It's too small to stand inside and get a good picture--very efficient--but small.

Pretty amazing transformation!

Swim! Said the Mama Fish, Swim if You Can!

As if living in a cabin down by the river weren't awesome enough-- now we have the amazing salmon run. It's happening right in our front yard! The salmon are coming back from the ocean and swimming UP the river to spawn and then die. It's so Romeo and Juliet! (Except the fish don't kiss...or even hold hands... in fact salmon don't have any idea who their parents are--but that's a biology lesson for another day). So guess what?! Dad went and got himself a FISHING LICENSE! Can you believe it? Miracles never cease! Everyone had a great time today trying to catch a fish-- to no avail. It turns out the salmon are not interested in any tasty bits of fishbait or shiny lures. They are single-minded in their quest to reach the place of their birth and begin the circle of life all over again. But luckily Nick Weis came over and brought us a delicious salmon that he caught back in the ocean--where the fish are sensible.

(Does the title bring back any memories? "Down in the meadow in a little, bitty pool. Swam three little fishies and the mama fishie too! Swim! Said the mama fish, swim if you can! And they swam and they swam all over the dam. Boop, boop, dittum dattum wattum choo! Boop, boop, dittum dattum wattum choo! And they swam and they swam all over the dam!" A favorite bathtime song because you got to splash the water with every "Boop, boop" and "Choo"-- awww the sweet, simple pleasures of childhood.)

Are Wii Having Fun Yet?

For Family Night activity we all gathered 'round the Wii to have some quality time with the Wii Fit. We had all tried it a few times so Dad wanted to have a turn. You have to have healthy self-esteem to do it in front of others because it tells you your fitness level in huge graphics and print right there on the screen. Well, Dad went through the whole testing and got the verdict. Then he decided to do some yoga. Who would have thought yoga could be an entertaining spectator sport? He was doing 'The Tree' and the avatar trainer said in her creepy voice, "You seem a little shaky." (Dad had fallen off a few times) and Dad yelled, "You'd be shaky too if you were obese!"

"This is the night we've waited for, always a treat we have in store. We love each other more and more, with every family night......."

Happiness Is... Being Big

My first bike was a little gold two-wheeler with training wheels. I rode it up and down the sidewalk in front of our house in Blanding, Utah. I was five and I thought I was finally "big". Big is what you want to be when you are little. Everyone towers over you, everyone gets to stay up later than you, everyone gets to go to school except you. Because they are big and you are little. I have a brother two years older than me. He was always bigger. He had been riding a bike for ages. Now I had arrived. Except he got to ride past the end of the block, and he didn't have training wheels. So, I wasn't "big" after all. I was sure I was ready to take off the training wheels. I needed to prove myself ready for the world of "big". I begged my dad to take them off. He put me off. Two days on training wheels didn't mean I was ready for the next step. I was so sure I could ride that bike without the training wheels-- and I was very persistant and probably very annoying. Finally, my dad got out his toolbox and told me to bring my bike up the driveway. After the training wheels were cast aside, I took my bike back to the sidewalk, swung my leg over and put feet to pedals. The bike wobbled, and started forward and then I crashed onto the sidewalk. What was this!? Wasn't I big? I stood up and looked at my bloody hands and knees. I was a resiliant child. This wasn't going to deter me in my quest for "big". I got back on the bike and tried again. My dad came over to me from the yard where he had been watching. He is 6 foot 5. And he bent way over and held the back of the seat of my tiny bike. He said, "Let me help you balance as you get started, then you can do it." He ran after me and I didn't even realize he had let go. I felt secure so I pedaled away. Suddenly I realized I was riding my bike! Without training wheels! I was BIG! And then I crashed. My dad was right there to pick me up and exult with me in my triumph. "Look how far you went! You can do it!" I found out that day that the only way to get from little to big, is to have someone who loves you keep you steady, and pick you up when you fall. And cheer you on.