Red Makes You Look Fat

The weather here on the East coast of Virginia is absolutely incredible right now and will be for several weeks. Highs in the mid 70's and lows in the 60's. It is sunny most days and the leaves are just barely starting to think about changing colors. The weather is like this every Spring and Fall and really is amazing. There are about two months of nasty heat in the Summer and two months of cold every Winter but the bulk of the time is very comfortable. We have really grown to love this area for the weather as well as the beauty and the history not to mention the valuable lessons we have learned.

Then, every once in a while, our exciting adventure in Virginia is interrupted with an experience that make us miss Utah a little bit. We had one of those last weekend. It was about 8:00 in the evening and I was looking on the internet to see if I could find a way to listen to the football game between Utah State University and the University of Utah, when we received a text message from Jenny's sister, Ashley, who is a new freshman at the University of Utah.

Ashley was texting us to tell us that she was actually at the football game which was being hosted by Utah State in Logan, UT. Though I graduated from the University of Utah and proudly wore their crimson red, I later spent six years working at Utah State University where our family became Aggies through and through. Even now, nearly two years later, our closets are filled with dark Aggie blue.

I replied to the text message by asking , "Are you wearing blue?"

Ashley's response struck me as a challenge when she said, "No! RED!"

Now, I didn't want to back down from a challenge and after having been working with college students for so may years, I knew just how to win this little exchange with a new freshman college girl. I texted back, "You look better in blue. Red makes you look fat."

I figured my message had the affect I was looking for because I didn't get an immediate response. I pictured Ashley and all of her friends dropping their jaws in mock disgust and working together to come up with a fitting reply. Then, after a few minutes, Ashley finally responded simply by saying, "Thanks Wade."

I felt terrible and guilty for allowing my competitive nature to get the best of me and I quickly texted that I was joking and that I hope she had a great time. And then any guilt I felt was washed away with a text from Ashley several hours later which rightfully gloated that the University of Utah won the game with a score of 58-10. In the end, Ashley had the last laugh, and I was glad she did.

~Wade

Passing Time in Pittsburgh

I was startled today by a life-sized and somewhat lifelike statue of Franco Harris, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, while wandering around the Pittsburgh airport. There he is right next to a similar statue of a young George Washington who apparently fired the first shots in the French - Indian war in this area. There was a plaque between them which compared them to each other in a way that I really didn't understand.

I have been wandering the airport because my flight was canceled thus putting me several hours behind where I thought I would/should be. Instead of getting home at 8:00 p.m., it won't be until after midnight. I have been here since 11:30 a.m. (it is now 4:15 p.m.) and am really tired of it. To make things worse, I will be in Atlanta for another 4 hours after this flight and comparatively speaking, the Atlanta airport is pretty much a dive.

I have been at a National Academic Advising Association conference for the past couple of days here in Pittsburgh. It is a nice area. I really miss Jenny and the kids as I always do when I travel but we just couldn't afford them to come too. I was just reading on Newsweek.com that airfares are likely going to just keep increasing. That will make it hard for folks like us to be able to fly much at all.

I think my favorite part of the trip was my trip to the National Aviary (click here for pictures). I even got the chance to go on a "behind the scenes" tour and pet a penguin. Very cool.

~Wade

The First of Many Dozen

Today is our twelfth wedding anniversary. We spent it by traveling to Washington DC so we could serve in the temple. For the last many years we have made it a tradition to do sealings at the temple on our anniversary. During the several hours of driving (3+ each way) we had a great time remembering our wedding day and found it touching that by chance we ended up in the sealing room at approximately the same time we were there originally a dozen years ago.

Over the last several days we have been talking a lot about our lives together and constantly marvel at where our lives have taken us. We could never have guessed all that we would experience and learn. We have been greatly blessed in our lives and see how God has led and guided us over the years.

How grateful I am to be sealed to Jenny for eternity.

~Wade

Mad Dog and the Invisible Kitties

Several years ago after Madeline was born I was holding her and trying to make her laugh. Like with all of the other children I began to make up silly names for her like "Madness" and "Mad Dog," the latter of which has stuck for some reason. She even answers to it.

A few nights ago Jenny was gone to a Relief Society meeting and I was home with the kids. The older three made themselves busy with whatever interested them at the time but without Mommy here, the youngest, Maddie (aka Mad Dog) sought me out and decided pass the time with me until Jenny returned.

Now, it was clear to me from almost the beginning that the only reason she was with me was because her Mommy wasn't there. I was laying on my bed reading and Maddie barged into the room and asked me "Where is Mommy?" I told her and then she asked "When will Mommy be home?" I told her and then she sighed and climbed up onto the bed and laid down next to me.

I kind of gave her a squeeze and continued to read. Then she asked, "Daddy...do you want some kitties?" I said, "What?" She then said that she had a "bunch of little kitties that are SOOO cute." She was holding her arms in a way that she might if she were holding many little kitties. I told her that I would love some kitties and she then proceeded to hand me invisible kitty after invisible kitty. I pretended to take them from her and put them beside me on the bed and she asked "Aren't they SOOO cute Daddy?" I agreed that they were and thanked her and gave her another squeeze before going back to my reading. After several seconds she then said, "Daddy, you are cute too." Awwww Shucks...

For the rest of the evening, Maddie walked through the house giving away invisible kitties to whomever would take them. I began to picture in mind what our house might look like if her kitties were real and was very grateful they weren't any more than a 3 year-old's way of sharing affection with her family.

~Wade

The Passing of a Prophet

Along with so many we mourn the loss of President Gordon B. Hinckley. I was asked yesterday by a colleague here at Christopher Newport University if I was going to be going back to Utah for the funeral. I told her that I wasn't but that President Hinckley would be missed. I thought it interesting that she felt that I would travel back to Utah.

The day after President Hinckley died, the leader of the Greek Orthodox church also died. I have a colleague of that faith and mentioned to her that we had something in common and that I was sorry to hear of her leader's passing. She thanked me for my concern but immediately sensed that perhaps the passing of my leader would be especially meaningful to me.

Each of these people obviously has an idea that the President of our Church means a great deal to the members. Undoubtedly because of the way the media makes it clear that we consider him a prophet. Well, they are right. I must admit that the thought crossed my mind to attend the funeral. I felt close to President Hinckley even though I didn't personally know him. But, the reality is that the gathering of the Saints is to the Stakes of Zion wherever they may be. We will participate here in this Stake through the broadcast options.

President Hinckley has been called the "Prophet of the People" and how true that seems to be. It is so easy to feel as though one knows him personally without ever meeting him.

~Wade

Philly!

We just got back from a short trip to Philadelphia. We were there primarily to visit the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) where Abby had a checkup for her heart. We were excited to learn that her Cardiologist from Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake recently relocated to CHOP as the Chief of Cardiology. Since Philadelphia is only a few hours away we thought it worth the trip to see him. He seemed genuinely pleased to see us (a taste of home) and as I mentioned, we were thrilled to see him.

Abby is doing very well and her checkup was terrific. We have known for some time that Abby will need at least one more heart surgery at some point and it looks like it won't be any time soon. In fact, the doctor told us it might be as long as 5 years. Regardless, we like the word "years" in that it means it isn't imminent. The best part is that Abby was well enough to even be cleared to ride a roller coaster now and then. Very cool.

Since we were going to be in Philadelphia anyway, we thought we would make a quick trip to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. You can see pictures by clicking here. It was a very nice trip and we had a good time. I even got to have an authentic Philly Cheese Steak that I bought from a street vendor (okay, stop rolling your eyes)!

Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Even though there are SO MANY people that go through the place on tours and such, it still has a hallowed feeling. It was neat to be able to see and experience it. The Liberty bell was kind of fun too. They have it set up across the street in a special building with a glass backdrop that kind of frames Independence Hall (where the bell was hung).

This was one of our most enjoyable trips so far. I think we picked a good time to go when the crowds weren't too big. The kids were unusually well behaved as well so it was a nice prelude to the Holidays.

~Wade

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

We always think of you at this time of year. We are doing well here in Newport News, Virginia but we certainly miss the snow and the snowmen, the sledding and the beautiful snow capped mountains and the frosted trees of Northern Utah. With the climate being so much warmer here in Newport News, it currently looks like what Utah
looks like at the end of October. We still have all the red oak leaves still coming down, and it was in the sixties yesterday. We will always be “Dreaming of a White Christmas” here.

We have now been in Virginia for a year, and are enjoying our adventure on the East Coast. The Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean are practically in our back yard, and we are experiencing all the area has to offer. So far this year, we have been to see a lot of neat things in many neat places including New York (NYC, Manhattan
Temple), Connecticut (Waterbury & Hartford), Rhode Island (Providence), Massachusetts (Boston, Plymouth, Temple), Pennsylvania (Gettysburg, Harrisburg), Florida (Jacksonville, St. Augustine), North Carolina (Raleigh), Washington D.C. (Temple) and many places here in Virginia including Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg. Though we miss everyone in Utah, we have been blessed with some wonderful experiences.

As for us, Wade is really enjoying his job as the Director of Academic Advising at Christopher Newport University. He has had to learn how to manage personnel, deal with politics and delegate. He is really gaining some valuable experience creating and implementing his own advising program. He is excited that this once in a life time opportunity has come to him. He teaches the 16 to 18 year olds in Sunday School and forever loves raising his doves.

Jenny has been busy with helping the children with all of their activities and getting people where they need to be. It is has become much more than a full time job as the years have gone by. With Maddie the only one at home now, she is enjoying her daytimes being a little less harried. However, she has kept busy as a counselor in the Relief Society and has enjoyed getting to know the sisters in the Ward. She still enjoys reading (especially Harry Potter), gardening (she just planted some bulbs!), and watching food network (Iron Chef!). She just had Wade put a Harry Potter Ring tone on her cell phone. Oh, Brother!

Abby, almost eleven, is doing great in school. She is involved in three school programs, Odyssey of the Mind, SAMS, and she helps host the Morning show on a television program for her school. She likes playing piano, attending FIGGS (Faith in GOD for Girls) in the ward, and doing arts and crafts. When not busy with all of those things, she reads as much as she can!

Sam, who turned eight and was baptized in Utah this year, is still funny and silly and always has us laughing. He is doing great in school and working hard to do his best work and it is really showing. He has put together a Lego club with two other boys in the ward that are now great friends. He also likes to play the piano and ride his bike every day.

Kate, six, is just as determined as ever. She is enjoying Kindergarten and is reading very well. New things often seem to come easily to Kate. When Jenny took Kate out to learn to ride a bike, she began riding up and down the street on only her second attempt! When Wade came home, he couldn’t believe she was riding all by herself so
soon. Kate is also learning to play the piano. She and a close friend have a “girls club” twice a month where they do crafts and cooking. She has really enjoyed that.

Maddie, who is three, is growing up so fast it is hard to keep up with her. This year, Maddie does “school” with Mom at home where she has almost learned all her numbers and letters. Hopefully, she will be able to attend a Pre-K program next fall and then will start all-day Kindergarten the following year. She loves to laugh and be silly much like Sam and she often says she really loves her “Sammo and Abby and Kate.” She can’t wait until they come home from school every day.

We love you all and wish you a very happy Christmas. We pray for the Lord’s blessings for each of you.

Tickle Tackle Fight

You can always tell when it is Kate's turn to choose the activity for Family Home Evening (FHE). It is never conventional but usually quite simple. Kate is all about close interaction and FUN. Lately she has been choosing, without fail, to have a family "Tickle Tackle Fight."

This is where the entire family engages in something that is undoubtedly reminiscent of seeing a pride of lions "playing" on a Discovery Chanel program. While the reckless abandon and broad smiles of the event clearly demonstrate that we are playing, there are also bared teeth, a lot of growling (Daddy) and even an occasional whimper (that is because of the "tackle" part).

Basically, we just pick someone to tackle and then tickle. Sometimes we gang up on one person for a minute (like Mommy) but mostly it is just a matter of grabbing and tickling the person closest to you (like Mommy).

It is great fun and EVERYONE laughs so hard that our ribs hurt. Then, after about five minutes (which seems like MUCH longer), we stop...catch our breath...give the kids one last, quick tickle...and then go into the kitchen for a treat (last night it was banana splits - yummy).

Leave it to Kate to come up with this. Of course it has developed into this "organized chaos" from the too-many-to-count spontaneous eruptions of tickling and tackling with her Daddy and the constant needling of her Grampa Shaw.

The rest of us tend to choose activities that are more typical (games, coloring, etc.) but not Kate. Of course Kate is anything but typical. She is a delight and has a knack for keeping us on our toes. With her, you are never quite sure when you may be tackled and tickled.

~Wade