Darlene went into the hospital on Saturday for gallstones. =(

Christmas photos are finally up. I actually kinda forgot about them for a few weeks, but remembered, and now they're finally posted.



Becky is so funny now, she's just great. Not only is she all over the house now, but she's learned how to flush the toilet:



and she is a picky eater, too:



She's just the cutest!     =)

Yesterday, I went to a parcel of land near Yerington with our church Boy Scout troup to help one of the young men complete his Eagle Scout project. We teamed up with a guide from the State of Nevada Div. of Minerals and we fenced off the exposed openings of eight abandoned mines.



The day started out great, with warm temperatures and no wind, but things turned quite windy and chilly right after lunch, and the next few hours were quite challenging for everyone. The wind gusts blew peoples' hats off, bottles of water away, and people over. Dirt and grit found their way into our eyes, nose, and lungs, but despite everything the project was completed in good time and with happy faces.

After returning home, I got a haircut at Wal-Mart.

We picked up my suit a couple days ago, and I wore it today for the first time. Nice.

I watched a few good videos yesterday: the spectacle known as "Cats", a mythical biography of Hercules, a History Channel documentary on the Navajo Code Talkers, and a PBS video on the Egyptian pyramids.

My computer monitor blew up on Friday with a pronounced "pop" and a puff of smoke. =(

We went to the new Super Wal-Mart yesterday and bought some groceries. I also spent a few cents so that I could "snap into a Slim Jim." Mmmmm, nacho flavor.

Krispy Kreme seems to be a big part of life now. Someone at the office brought in donuts on Friday, and the Bishop had some donuts at church today, too. We drove by Krispy Kreme last night and noticed that one of their neon signs is already burnt out. Less than a month old, and it's already been worn out. Crazy.

Well, I just got back from a one-day business trip to Las Vegas, and I must say I'm impressed with the Gideons. Every hotel I've stayed at on all my recent trips have had Bibles in each room, provided by the Gideons.

Last night we watched "Someone Like You" (with Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, and Hugh Jackman), and it was pretty funny. Yesterday on the plane, I finished reading Anne Rice's "Memnoch the Devil". It's such an awesome book, but I must admit that it took me awhile to finish (in fact, just over two years -- I kinda forgot about it after about ¾ of the way through...)

I stayed at the Palace Station in Las Vegas, and they've got a Krispy Kreme located right inside the lobby! Isn't that great?     =)

Last week I tried a Krispy Kreme donut for the first time. Everyone had talked to me so much about them and how good they were and everything and I had never had one before. So, Richard took me in for a Krispy Kreme. They were serving hot ones at the time, so they handed us a hot glazed original donut. It was so good! It was kind of like cotton candy - it just melted in my mouth. It was very yummy! So, we got us a few donuts. I tried the chocolate covered custard filled ones and the original glazed and Richard got some berry filled ones. I must say they are as good as everyone says!

Today was fun. We took a walk around the park as the weather was nice, and we visited Rick and Darlene to see Darlene's new car. We rented and watched "Rio Bravo" with John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Ricky Nelson. Last night, we watched "The Skulls", which turned out to be nothing special. Rio Bravo, however, was pretty good. We stopped by Shopko to get Becky some new clothes, ate lunch at Carrow's, and then swung by Krispy Kreme for some hot donuts a little later.

Well, it's a new year, and things are off to a great start. Misti has a new church calling as an Assistant Nursery Leader, and I was recently made the Deacon's Quorum advisor. Becky had an exciting day at church today, as it was her first time in the nursery. She played right alongside the older toddlers, and was really tired afterward. She fell asleep as I was carrying her out to the car.     =)

Yesterday, we went to the Men's Wearhouse and I bought a new suit. It's a really nice charcoal color with a slight patterned light wool fabric, but it won't be ready until next week because of the alterations. The best part is that it only cost me $9, because I was fortunate to have received a gift certificate for my birthday, which I redeemed, plus they currently have their year-end sale still going on (everything's marked down a certain percentage), plus I had an additional 10% off coupon because I had bought a suit there previously (some years ago). Everything added all up, it was a steal!

Afterward, we ran by the mall and I redeemed some more gift certificates (these ones from Christmas) for Hot Dog On a Stick. They just have the best cheese on a stick anywhere!

Last weekend, we went to Evan Hurrle's birthday party at Round Table Pizza. We ate some pizza and cake, took a few photos, and generally had a great time.     =)

We spent a wonderful Christmas with family this year, and really enjoyed being in the Christmas spirit. Shopping wasn't all that bad this year, despite the crowds, and we had a really great time. For New Year's, however, both Misti and I got colds, so we didn't feel 100% on New Year's eve, and as such, didn't venture forth, but spent a quiet and restful night at home. Boring, aren't we?

In other news, I just finished with John Grisham's "The Street Lawyer", a truly wonderful book. Recent movies we've watched include "Contact" (with Jodie Foster, Mathew McConoughey, and Tom Skerrit), "The Shawshank Redemption", "Rush Hour 2" (with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan), "Pokemon 3, The Movie", and a biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.