Days

Thought these photos were pretty cool.  The greatness of which man is capable.  The space race was somewhat driven by fear of ICBM's carrying nuclear warheads, but more recently it has been overshadowed by hope, wonder, and genuine curiosity.  We can hope that the better angels of our nature prevail.

The sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 7:28 p.m. EST on Dec. 19, 2014.

David Scott, captured by Russell Schweickart, stands in the hatch of the ship for the Apollo 9 mission in March 1969.

This protrait of Eugene Cernan was captured by Harrison Schmitt at the begining of their final moonwalk in December 1972.

Neil Armstrong photographs fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin making his first steps during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.

Surface of Mars as taken by Curiosity.

Carina Nebula taken by Hubble.

William Anders captured an earthrise from the moon's surface during the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968.

Pillars of Creation from Hubble.

The Earth on July 11, 1969.

Astronaut Eugene Cernan captures Harrison Schmitt with the Earth above the US flag during the Apollo 17 mission on December 1972. "I captured the Earth, the Moon, the man, and the country all in one," 

Paterfamilias

Well,

Late winter is always a gas around our house, because of all of the action around here with five people.  It seems amazing the lives we have carved out for ourselves in this world.  Here, we must give thanks to our Heavenly Father who has been good to us.  We are healthy and strong and have everything we could ever want.  It is these moments of reflection that I wish I could expand our blessings to others who struggle, weep, mourn, or go hungry.  I know we are not free from such things but we are in a position to help.

We were able to put together around $1,500 this past Christmas as an extended family which we then gave secretly to four families.  It was great to do this, but there is much more that needs to be done.  I hope we can keep giving to the best of our ability and look for more meaningful ways to do this.

Laney had her birthday and Nana and Papa came out to celebrate.  We also, had Pinewood derby last week and Joaquin built a car that cam in 9th place out of 20 other cars.  He sanded, painted and detailed the car.  Next year we will hit it a little harder and maybe spend some more time putting the thing together.  It was fun to see how excited he was about the race.  Awesome.

Laney opening presents from friends,

Laney with her quilt from Nana and Papa. (Papa I am sure you put a lot of time and energy into that thing).

Cake.

Happy kid at Pinewood Derby.

This is how our family home evenings usually look.  Effective...

Wow.  Patient cat.

Kodiak bear.  Ruby was her usual cautious self.  Kept Laney between her and the bear the entire time.

To My Valentine

Shauna has been my Valentine for close to 13 years.  I want to tell you dear Valentine that I love you for all that you have been and done over the past years we have been together.  You are beautiful in every conceivable way.  I am in love with you because you are happy, funny, graceful, gorgeous, giving, loving, smart, and good.  You are concerned about others first.  You take time to teach those around you and share yourself with those most in need.

You are a one in a million brimming with charm, light, and understanding.  You don't look down at others you only look to help others.  You are caring and gentle.  You work hard and endure much as a mother, but it does not phase you and you keep on looking upward and outward.  These are all reasons you are my valentine.  I am sure you have other admirers out there--kids, dogs, the down trodden, the poor in spirit, the hungry...but no one has ever said you cannot have just one valentine.

As I look back on our life together, I see with increasing clarity, that you are a choice companion and one that deserves praise and fame.  Happy Valentine's Day Shauna.

 

Happy Birthday Elena

Happy Birthday Elena!  I hope it was a great Birthday and you know how much your family loves you.  You are a beautiful sweet girl and we know you are a bright and happy kid to all of those around you.  

Vaccines

I think enough has been said about vaccinating your children.  I just have to say God gave us all a brain and intends for us to use it.  This is not intended as an insult--I really mean this.  Take some time and look at credible reports and research.  I think the conclusion will be apparent and you can move forward from there.

Healthy skepticism is well...healthy, but to let it lead you down paths were somehow you know better than your doctor what your kids needs, is pride and arrogance.  We all have these pet projects in our life were against all evidence and understanding we choose to labor forward under false and erroneous notions.  This is when it requires us to exercise our mental faculties and do the best we can, which does not include listening to debunked pundits and research.
 

This is akin to voting.  It is hard and time consuming to actually dig down and look at the individual candidates.  However, whose responsibility is it?  Instead of voting simply based on party we are required to do some, perhaps rigorous investigation, to draw a conclusion.  Remember the Bloodhound Gang or Ghost Writer.  Well, these are skills we should have learned along time ago--maybe we need to dust them off and give them a go.  You can be a stupid voter but there is a chance your choice may hurt me or someone else...and more so with the choice to forego vaccinations.