tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190689572024-03-07T00:36:00.287-07:00Chronicles of GeoffThe life and times of a Dad, Husband, and Web DesignerGeoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-28558212165759354512014-08-13T16:12:00.001-06:002014-08-13T16:12:52.147-06:00New T-ShirtsI recently designed several new T-Shirts because I'm cool like that. Ok, actually, I did it because they are fun to do, and I enjoy a good parody. You can <a href="https://www.teepublic.com/user/photokapi" target="_blank">purchase these T-shirts</a> (or other rad shirts) <a href="https://www.teepublic.com/user/photokapi" target="_blank">here</a> and expand your awesome quotient by at least 100%.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teepublic.com/user/photokapi" target="_blank">Purchase T-shirt</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-5455479324120601892014-01-07T21:08:00.000-07:002014-01-07T21:31:56.838-07:0012 Days of Christmas For My WifeThis year I did the 12 days of Christmas for my wife, Diana. I had a lot of fun coming up with items for each day. They are:<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1</span> Step closer to a new van.</b><br />
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We have been looking in to getting a wheelchair lift equipped van. However, in order to purchase the van, we need the money from the van we currently own. However, should we sell the van, we would not have an easy way to take the family to get the new van. However, one of the dealers I contacted agreed to pay at least whatever the car appraised for, so for the 1st present I went and got the van appraised so she wouldn't have to.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2</span> Containers of Non-Sweet Spheres</b><br />
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We have been looking for some time for the "perfect" candy containers for the mantle. I found two of them at Hobby Lobby that are just the right size; not so big that there is more candy than I can afford, but not so small that 1 handful empties the jar. Then I filled them with sour balls.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3</span> Baby Racoons Treats</b><br />
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My wife LOVES baby corn. I don't. She loves to eat them on salad, off salad, with a fox, in a box, on a boat, with a goat -- well, you get the idea.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">4</span> "Cups" of snowballs</b><br />
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This was one of my favorite ones, because I am hilarious. She needed new bras anyway, so I figured, why not make it fun(ny). I took 4 Hostess Snowballs and put 1 in each Ziploc bag in it's appropriate cup.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">5</span> Implements of Inspiration</b><br />
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My wife loves to write. So much so, she has written two 50,000 word books, both of which started out longhand on a legal pad. <a href="http://dianaleesagers.com/" target="_blank">You can read about them on her website.</a> She is one of the few people I know that has actually used up all the ink in the pen before losing it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">6</span> Beautification Products</b><br />
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My wife is beautiful -- without makeup, with makeup, all dressed up, in sweats, in a box, with a fox, on a boat with a goat... sorry I got sidetracked. Anyway, two of my girls are constantly stealing her hair clips and headbands and then losing or breaking them, so I got her some replacements.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">7</span> Heartwarming Items</b><br />
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Diana hates being cold. I mean HATES! She loves anything that will warm her up, blankets, a fireplace, and hot cocoa. So, for day 7, she got 7 boxes of various flavors of hot cocoa.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">8</span> Tipped Over</b><br />
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8 on it's side is ∞. She loves scarves, especially in the winter, since they add an additional layer of warmth. For day 8, I got her an soft blue knit infinity scarf.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">9</span> = 3 + 6 (36) </b><br />
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Diana loves Pringles. I don't. (are you noticing a pattern here?). There is something not right about slices of "potato" that all look the exact same. Nevertheless, she loves them, so that's what she got.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">10</span> Packs of Dunkers</b><br />
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She loves Oreos. So do I. (yeah, the one exception to the trend that was going). We often have them together as a late night snack. They are so delicious with some ice cold milk.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">11</span> Rolls of Fun</b><br />
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Diana is quite the seamstress. She loves pattern making and altering and anything to do with sewing. Ribbon is often the 1 thing that makes a "regular" item unique and extra pretty, and one of the things she has the hardest times buying for herself due to the cost.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">12</span> Danglies and a Holder for Their Friends</b><br />
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<b> </b>This<b> </b>was the most time consuming of all the gifts, and yet one of the most rewarding. I made the box about 18x23, then painted it black and mod-podged the background into the box. Next, I added the cup hooks inside for her necklaces. The original frame was white, so I added paint thinner to the paint to make it more of a glaze, painted the frame, then wiped it off. I attached burlap (for the earrings) to the frame on the back with staples, then attached the frame to the box with hinges. It turned out awesome I think.<br />
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What's the best gift you gave this year?Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-47230298673083388712013-09-30T14:25:00.001-06:002013-09-30T14:28:12.624-06:00Developing Christ-like AttributesI made this for my wife's Young Women's lesson. No reason to not share it. See other handouts at <a href="http://photokapi.com/category/graphic-design/" target="_blank">Photokapi.com</a><br />
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Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-37045999731611353232013-04-29T14:41:00.000-06:002013-05-01T11:18:56.819-06:00Go Forth Unto All The WorldAt work I had the opportunity for "innovation days." This meant I had two days to do whatever I wanted as long as I created something of value (though the definition was loose) and learned a new (or advanced an existing) skill.<br />
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I chose to work on the missionary efforts of my Great Grandparents Joseph and Elda Brown, and their posterity. I had worked previously on my Grandparent's generation, but felt that it would be much more meaningful if I got 1 more generation of data. Luckily, a majority of work had been done by a cousin as far as listing names, departure dates, mission names etc. However, it was not in the format I needed, and so I had to extract the data that was in a google docs spreadsheet into a MySQL database in the right order, find latitude and longitude information, break it down by family and create some additional fields, etc.<br />
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Once I had the database written and working, I set about creating the 3 dynamic pages I wanted. I had a handcart photograph I had taken while on <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2012/06/pioneer-trek-2012-day-1.html" target="_blank">trek</a> last year, and used that for the background. Then, I created some artwork for the google maps pins, the header image plaque, and a checkmark.<br />
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After creating the home page with the scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 4, I created the mission list page. At first iteration, I just did a sorted database dump, but after some research, I figured out to dynamically make a database call and refresh the page using AJAX. This was a breakthrough for me, as I had never been able to accomplish this in any of the database projects I had worked on before, and opened a whole new realm of possibilities. I added filtering by family, direct descendant, male, female, couple, country, and state for the US and Canada. Then I added color coding based on the family they belonged to, and created the table that dynamically changed based on a dropdown list of options.<br />
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Next I worked on a map. I created different markers for Elders, Sisters, and Couples, and then using PHP/MySQL created a dynamic XML file that the API reads using Javascript and then plots them on an interactive map of the world It creates a list to the side of the panel that you can scroll through and click on individuals to see where they served. It also allows for clicking on the marker and showing who it was that served there.<br />
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Lastly, I worked on the timeline. Using and existing jQuery library, I dynamically created the JSON data it was expecting, and then formatted the data to the timeline, adding in the colors chosen for each family. It looks pretty amazing.<br />
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Overall it was a fun project to work on, I learned many things about several technologies I was unfamiliar with, and I created something that is both useful and interesting.<br />
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<a href="http://sagersfamily.com/missionmap/" target="_blank">Click on the screenshot below to see it in action.</a></div>
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Interested in creating one for your own family? Let me know, and I will do what I can to help you set one up. (Be advised, some technical skill is required)
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Please let me know what you think in the comments below.Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-60881275332365934772013-04-16T22:30:00.000-06:002013-04-17T13:52:26.221-06:00The Single Dad (Day 6)I woke up today at 7:03. Got the kids ready to go. Emily made my lunch and a take-along dinner for after school of peanut butter and honey on raisin bagels and chips and cutie mandarin oranges. It was raining a bit, so I was trying to figure out how to get everyone where they needed to go when Becca's bus came. So, I put her on the bus, took the boys across the street to Darrin and Kelly's, and then took the girls and neighbor boy to school. I headed off to work and worked until about 3:15 then came home. This time I beat the girls by about 15 minutes. I took the boys home and they played Legos, then the girls joined when they got there. Once Becca got home at 4:30, we headed off to Salt Lake to pick up Diana; her flight got in at 4:45. However, my Mom's car was at Richard's parents house (which is near Diana's parents), so he picked everyone up and brought Diana to her mom's house where we were waiting.<br />
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The kids were downstairs playing when she got there, so we talked for a few minutes. Then she went and said "Hi" to Becca. Her eyes lit up and she cooed for probably 2-3 minutes. She missed Mommy too. I don't know how much she understood of <i>where</i> Mom was or <i>why</i> she was gone, but she was certainly happy she was back.<br />
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Then I called each kid up one by one just saying "Come here, I need you for a minute." As soon as they saw Diana they ran to her and hugged and hugged her -- especially Ethan. He missed her the most I think. I had forgotten Becca's 5:00 feeding and Diana was starving, so we headed home. Diana ate her sack lunch on the way home and we talked about her trip.<br />
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When we got home, she pulled out some souvenirs she got for us; shirts for the boys, nail polish and hair clips for the girls that change color in the sun, and, of course, a Ziploc of seashells. By the time we got done with everything it was bedtime. We put the kids to bed, and watched a sitcom on Netflix, then promptly fell asleep about 10:30. We haven't gone to bed that early in I don't know how long.<br />
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So, here's what I learned from being a single parent for a week:<br />
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<ol>
<li>I am perfectly capable of doing everything Diana does, but it is <i>exhausting</i>. I fell asleep on the couch more than once trying to read stories to the kids -- before bedtime.</li>
<li>Even with a menu, figuring out what to make for dinner, snacks, breakfast and lunch is frustrating and slow. Who doesn't like what, why, and if I care.</li>
<li>Once you are used to having someone in your bed, it's harder sleep when they aren't there. Even though I had more room and could stretch out however I wanted, it was less comfortable.</li>
<li>My children can do more than I expected. On the days I was late, Emily and Grace let themselves in the house and were fine when I got home. They worked together (usually) to accomplish task I gave them, and even encouraged the boys to work with them.</li>
<li>I love and like my wife. Not just like I like stuff or love my family. L-O-V-E. I missed talking about stupid things, laughing at nothing, and just being in the same room together. I wasn't jealous that she was off doing fun things while I was "stuck" at home. I was jealous because I wanted to be <i>with</i> her.</li>
</ol>
In summary, I am glad she got to go and decompress for a while, but I am SO glad she is back.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-1.html">Day 1</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-2.html">Day 2</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-3.html">Day 3</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-4.html">Day 4</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-5.html">Day 5</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-6.html">Day 6</a><br />
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<br />Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-5268768589224301502013-04-15T23:18:00.001-06:002013-04-17T13:53:00.730-06:00The Single Dad (Day 5)Woke up today at 7:15 got the kids ready for school. It snowed last night. I was going to try and take them to school but I couldn't figure out the best way to take them school and pick up the other kids before putting Becca on the bus, so I made them walk. It was less than 1/2 an inch of snow. Anyway, I took the boys to Aunt Deana's house and went to work. At 2:30 and Deana called and asked if I remembered it was early it out day. I didn't. So, I rushed to her house to pick up the boys but had to fill up with gas on the way. After picking up the boys I headed home.<br />
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On the way home I told the boys that tomorrow we were going to go pick up mommy at the airport.<br />
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Ethan said, "but I thought she was in Florida."<br />
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I said, "Yes but she's going to get on a plane and come home tomorrow."<br />
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Then Ethan said, "Is she going to jump out of the airplane with a parachute?"<br />
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"No, I said the plane will land and we will pick her up at the airport."<br />
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He's a funny little guy.<br />
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The girls got home before us, as did Becca, but luckily the bus drivers let the girls get Becca off the bus. The house was locked so the girls couldn't get in but luckily they only beat me by about five minutes, and Aunt Kelly was across the street.<br />
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When everybody got in the house we straightened up a little and they got out the Legos to play. I went to Little Caesars to get some pizza and breadsticks for dinner. After dinner, they did the dishes and then played Lego some more. I may or may not have fallen asleep on the couch for 1/2 an hour or so. Then it was bedtime Emily read the boys some stories, and I got Becca into bed. Then I watched a bunch of videos on YouTube until I got tired and went to bed. I am excited to go pick up Diana tomorrow. More than anything, I miss adult conversation in the evening.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-1.html">Day 1</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-2.html">Day 2</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-3.html">Day 3</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-4.html">Day 4</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-6.html">Day 6</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-23706971806069835402013-04-14T23:43:00.001-06:002013-04-17T13:53:15.441-06:00The Single Dad (Day 4)Woke up this morning about 7:15. The kids had Pop-Tarts for breakfast. I then realized that I hadn't showered in several days. Now, before you judge, I now realize why Diana says the same thing to me sometimes. I didn't forget, it just never made it to the front of the line of things that were necessary. Anyway, I showered, sent the girls to shower, then bathed the boys (who apparently had no clean clothes readily available) in luke-warm water. After the clothes crisis was solved (by which I mean I picked up some clothes off their floor and smelled them, yeah, I really did) and the heater had time to warm up more water, Becca got her bath. After about 30 minutes of hair curling, we were all ready to go by 10:03. Pretty impressive considering that church doesn't start until 11:00. We even made it and were in our seats by 10:35.<br />
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After church, we came home and had a charming lunch of cold cereal and grapes. Then we read books again for a while and I may or may not of fallen asleep reading to Ethan. But, in my defense, he fell asleep too. While we were sleeping Emily and Grace made rice crispy treats with lemon meringue marshmallows. Anyway, after we woke up, it was dinner time, and we had Ramen Noodles and Clementine Cuties. Then Darrin and Kelly came over to have dessert. The rice crispy treats were delicious. The kids finally got to bed around 9:00. Another day closer to Diana's return.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-1.html">Day 1</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-2.html">Day 2</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-3.html">Day 3</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-5.html">Day 5</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-6.html">Day 6</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-69221867823449437772013-04-13T22:00:00.000-06:002013-04-17T13:53:30.291-06:00The Single Dad (Day 3)I woke up today at 7:15. We got everyone dressed, Becca fed, and food packed for her, and headed out for donuts for breakfast. Now, I know you're thinking, Mom's away, we will just get treats all the time and keep the kids happy, but, they earned it. They have kept the house clean and helped out when asked so a treat is in order. Also, go find the Bill Cosby chocolate cake skit on youtube for more explanation. On the way to the store afterward the Taylor Swift song "Trouble" came on the radio, and when the chorus came on, I heard wails of "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCv-HxktZFc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">human goat</a>" and "<a href="http://youtu.be/j2KI0COH9PY?t=1m0s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">precious precious</a>", check the links for the details. I have awesome kids. <br />
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After breakfast we went to Wal-mart to get some undershirts for the girls, pop-tarts, and cereal for breakfast tomorrow. Then we went to Old Navy and got some flip-flops for them as well. Becca was happy and when we got home we gave her the 11:00 feeding. Then Landon, Ethan and I read some stories, and it was lunchtime. We had homeade lunchables with cheese, Ritz crackers, bologna, and ham. After lunch, Emily and the boys wanted to play Legos, but Grace wanted to do watercolors. So they both did what they wanted.<br />
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Then the girls played Lego Batman on the Wii for about 45 minutes, while I read another story or two to Ethan. By then it was dinner time. (They build with the Legos for hours if I let them, and I did). Ethan got tired of waiting for dinner.<br />
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We had taco salad for dinner with Chili, cheese, and tomatoes. Then we had green grapes as a side dish and made oven s'mores. We were going to roast them over the fire pit, but it was raining. We put graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate in tin-foil and then baked them at 250 for about 7-8 minutes. However, after opening them the chocolate was <i>quite</i> messy, so we put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes. They were delicious.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-1.html">Day 1</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-2.html">Day 2</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-4.html">Day 4</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-5.html">Day 5</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-6.html">Day 6</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-16290103584862516042013-04-12T21:13:00.003-06:002013-04-17T13:53:49.077-06:00The Single Dad (Day 2)Woke up at 7:06. Morning routine much like yesterday, did another load of laundry. Emily made my lunch again. She left me a note again today.<br />
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Sent the girls off to school again at 8:30. Becca's bus was a little early 8:35, but we were ready, so she got on, I ate breakfast quickly, and off the boys and I went to Aunt Deana's house. We got there at 9:05, and she wasn't back from crossing guard duty at the elementary, so we waited a couple of minutes, I dropped them off, and headed to work. I spent most of the morning in a meeting, then the rest of the day trying to correct a bug in the software that long story short is related to the fact that the largest integer that can be represented in the software is 2 to the 31st power. That many seconds from January 1, 1970 is considered the end of time according to our current code. Anyway, I was in the middle of working on the fix when I realized it was already 3:30 and had to rush to pick up the boys to make it home before the girls got home.<br />
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I got clear out to the car when I realized I had left my iPad on my desk, so I had to run back up to get it, further delaying me. The boys were ready (thanks, Aunt Deana) and swinging on the porch swing when I got there, so we headed home. The girls were already home, but had come in, and were fine, and I beat Becca's bus by about 10 minutes. I changed Becca's diaper right as she got home, problem solved.<br />
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For dinner we had tomato soup. The kids really wanted to camp but it was supposed to be colder outside than originally anticipated, and I worried a bit about Becca making it through the night. So, we set up the tent in the living room. <br />
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Since we didn't get to camp outside, I rented a DVD from redbox. The Pirates. They enjoyed it, and I fell asleep several times so I must have as well. I would have stayed asleep longer if Ethan and Landon hadn't kept piling on me.<br />
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After the movie, they got in their PJ's and put their sleeping bags in the tent. Emily read some stories, including some pages of the Chronicles of Narnia. I checked on them about 9:30 and found this:<br />
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I might actually have a handle on this, but there are still 4 more days, including getting everyone to church and a whole Saturday together. We will see.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-1.html">Day 1</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-3.html">Day 3</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-4.html">Day 4</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-5.html">Day 5</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-6.html">Day 6</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-17188449268028732822013-04-11T23:50:00.000-06:002013-04-17T13:54:03.681-06:00The Single Dad (Day 1)Diana flew to Florida for an extended girls weekend in honor of my sister-in-law Sharon's 40th birthday. We dropped her off and she slept over at my mom's house Wednesday night so she could go together to the airport in the morning.<br />
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Day 1.<br />
Woke up at 7:30 (as usual) and Emily (10) got breakfast for the boys and Gracie. Then she made my lunch. I found out at lunch time, she slipped in the following note.<br />
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Sent the girls to school at 8:30, Becca's bus came at 8:40. Took the boys over to my sister-in-law's house and headed to work. Arrived at work at 9:05 and worked until 3:15. Headed home to be there when the kids got home from school. Pulled up just as the girls were walking down the street to the house. Got Becca off the bus about 1/2 hour later and we talked about school and what they did for the day. Worked on some stuff for work to make up for having to leave early for a couple hours, then we had dinner. Dinner was hoagies on hot dog buns. They all enjoyed it but Ethan who refused to eat the bun. After dinner they played outside for a while and I did a load of dishes and 2 loads of laundry.<br />
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I also learned it is best to change Becca's diaper right when she gets home from school, not at dinner time. She completely soaked though. Lesson learned.<br />
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I tucked Becca and the boys in at 8:00, and the girls stayed up until 9 working on homework. Ethan needed some snuggle time and kept saying "I want Mommy to come home." After they went to bed, I had nothing to do, so I puttered around on the iPad for a few minutes, then watched a couple shows on Netflix. Fell asleep around midnight. Weird to sleep in an empty bed. Roomy, but weird.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-2.html">Day 2</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-3.html">Day 3</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-4.html">Day 4</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-5.html">Day 5</a> | <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-single-dad-day-6.html">Day 6</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-91551620687305544282013-04-01T11:56:00.000-06:002013-04-12T20:43:48.442-06:00Easter Thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I miss my dad. A lot. Sometimes I think I should call my mom and ask her how he's doing. Then I remember. He's doing fine. I, on the other hand, miss him and wish he were here, healthy, and happy. I guess for now, I have to settle for just the last two of those.<br />
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How grateful I am for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the sealing power of the priesthood to that provides that families can be together forever. It makes saying goodbye for a while easier, not easy, but at least easier.Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-6603629701492614102013-02-17T08:00:00.000-07:002013-02-17T08:00:04.824-07:00Bye Dad. Love you. Can't Wait To See You AgainTuesday, November 6th, 2012. 6:55 AM, the phone rang. The simple words come across the line. "Well, it's over." I say, "I'm so sorry, Mom."<br />
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It's taken me a long time to be able to write this. Three months, in fact. After an 18 month battle with mesothelioma, my dad finally succumbed to the disease and passed away. It was a day I had known was coming for a long time, but not long enough. I would like to say it made it easier, and I guess in some ways, it did. But, I still wish for it to have been different. Because we knew death was a possibility, we got to plan and spend lots of time together as a family. Of course, it's never enough, but we had a <a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2011/07/sagers-south-dakota-summer-2011.html" target="_blank">trip to South Dakota</a>, family dinners, sleepovers from grandparents, and plenty of family prayer and fasting and faith building.<br />
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My dad has always been my hero. Always. Even when I was ticked off at something he'd gotten after me for doing. He was always there for me. He always took care of me. Whenever I needed help fixing something, or advice, he was always there.<br />
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His example continues to be an inspiration to me. I never once heard him swear. Ever. He had cars fall on him, cows and horses step on him and kick him, and 6 children to exasperate him. Not once did foul language escape his mouth.<br />
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His efforts to make the community and world a better place were noticed by so many, but his efforts to raise children who loved each other and took care of each other may have been unseen by those outside his inner circle. He will be missed by many, but his family most.<br />
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Dear Dad,<br />
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I know you fought hard. I know it wasn't how you hoped it would end. I know that you wanted to see your grandchildren get older, marry and have children of their own. I know you wanted to serve a mission with Mom. Those things will happen differently than originally planned. Your grandchildren still talk of you daily. Landon especially. He sometimes tears up and just says. "I miss Grandpa" Then, I hug him and say, "Me too, buddy." They all miss you a lot, but we tell them fun stories about you and good stories about your hard work and love.<br />
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For your funeral, all your sons and grandsons wore one of your ties. I picked the one you used to make me wear when I was a deacon to pass the sacrament. It had a fat knot when I was 12 because it had to be tied so far down. I didn't like to wear ties. I still don't. But, every time I look at it, I will think of you and you teaching me of proper respect for the Lord and his commandments.<br />
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The girls made wreaths out of a lot of your ties. You have so many fun ones. Different colors, patterns, home-made and store bought. <br />
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We chose a wooden casket. It looked like something you would have made. Fine workmanship, simple, but well put together. It has finger joinery of simple pine slats, but lined with white satin. There were other options, but we thought this fit you best. <br />
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Becca loved your funeral. You probably got to talk to her. She laughed and giggled the whole time, just like the other funerals she's been to. We are sad because we miss you, but she is happy because her communication isn't hampered by her bodily constraints. I helped her put a white carnation on your casket. She just smiled. But she let everyone who wanted to, talk to her, snuggle, and hug her. She knows what people need, often more than they do.<br />
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There were so many flowers. Hundreds. From all sorts of people. Students from the classes you taught, the ward, friends, family. They were beautiful. I am sure you know every kind there were. You always taught us so much about plants. Even when we didn't want to learn. I do the same to my kids.<br />
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The funeral was nice, as funerals go. All the boys had a chance to talk. We all cried. Afterward, we hugged and talked of how amazing a father you were to all of us, each in a different way. We had a nice luncheon. We saw family we hadn't seen in years. Several of them mentioned how much it meant to them that you called them or visited them when they weren't feeling well. We cried and laughed some more.<br />
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Thanks for all you ever did for me and my little family. Thanks for all you are doing now for us on the other side of the veil.<br />
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Bye Dad. Love you. Can't Wait To See You Again,<br />
Love,<br />
Geoff<br />
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<br />Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-38884631284732840132012-08-05T17:28:00.000-06:002012-08-05T17:31:46.691-06:00Gracie's BaptismYesterday, August 4th, Grace became the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.<br />
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It was a very nice service with her Grandpa Lee and Grandma Sagers
giving wonderful talks on Baptism and The Gift of the Holy Ghost. I said
the baptismal prayer in Portuguese, and I was able to give her a
wonderful blessing and confirm her a member of the church with her grandpas, uncles, a member of our Bishopric,
Mike Pierce, and our home teacher and good friend Matt Blackhurst.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 Generations</td></tr>
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Her Great Grandma was also able to come, as were plenty of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Diana's sister Laura's family lives in Washington, my brother Glen lives in Illinois, and Uncle Stephen and Jake were at the county fair showing Jake's pigs and unable to attend. But he did get a red ribbon pig and white ribbon pig.<br />
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Afterward we had a nice potluck dinner of beans and rice, numerous salads and wonderful desserts. Aunt Kelly also made her a very nice cake.<br />
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She got a new CTR necklace, and her very own set of imprinted leather scriptures.<br />
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Congratulations Gracie girl, you are on the right track!Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-19336567796823038132012-06-25T07:15:00.000-06:002012-06-25T07:15:00.136-06:00Bye Bye BeardI let my beard grow for about a month for Trek. It started out scratchy, went to soft, but finally just got annoying. It was a food catcher, and channeled the water away from my mouth when I took a drink, so after Trek, I decided to get rid of it. I figured I might as well make it fun, so here's what I came up with.<br />
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<br />Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-22498711654151902842012-06-09T22:00:00.000-06:002012-06-24T23:00:59.759-06:00Pioneer Trek 2012 - Day 4Last night we slept in the van. This was MUCH warmer. However, it did have the little clasps where the seats hook down in the floor that stuck up about 1/2 an inch. TOTALLY worth it though. I was warm.<br />
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For breakfast we had Cream of Wheat, another not so fun childhood memory -- so I ate pop tarts. There was some leftover biscuits and gravy from the day before, so I had some of that too. We broke camp, turned in the hand carts, and headed out to Rock Creek Hollow (also known as Rocky Ridge).<br />
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We had sandwiches for lunch in the parking area, then headed to the memorials.<br />
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The plaques are a memorial to the 15 people in the Willie hand cart company who died making it over the 3 mile long hill with layers of rocks during a heavy snowstorm. You can still see the ruts from the wagon wheels in the rock.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruts from the Handcarts and Wagons</td></tr>
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Afterward, we had testimony meeting which was very moving. Some of the kids that started the Trek as slightly cocky I could tell were truly humbled from their experiences. There was one in particular that is far to sacred to share here, but feel free to ask me about it sometime.<br />
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We loaded up the cars again, and then headed toward home.<br />
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I stopped to take pictures at an old mining town, and since we would just be a minute, waved the others on.<br />
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After taking a few pictures, I realized we had a flat tire -- and also the only phones that worked. Diana sent a text message to some other members of our group, so when they got to a spot that they had service, they would get it and not wonder where we were. I put the spare on and we headed out again. Unfortunately, the closest place to get a tire fixed was in Rock Springs, 90 miles away.<br />
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We made it to Rock Springs and got the tire fixed at Wal-mart (which took more than an hour) and had a bite to eat. The Blackhursts and Dickeys had gotten our texts and stopped with us to wait. We got some fried chicken and potatoes in the deli. Finally we got it taken care of and left Rock Springs about 6:30ish.<br />
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We made it home, exhausted but happy at around 10:00pm.<br />
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Trek was Amazing. Truly Amazing. I cannot begin to understand all the Pioneers went through because of their faith, but I appreciate it far more than I did before.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2012/06/pioneer-trek-2012-day-3.html">Read Day 3</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-32830225741460060152012-06-08T22:00:00.000-06:002012-06-24T23:00:31.545-06:00Pioneer Trek 2012 - Day 3After another difficult night (warmer, but hard ground) I woke up at 5:30 again and made a fire. We had breakfast of biscuits and gravy, fruit and milk (which was delicious, by the way) and then started on our hike for the day. It was fairly warm with a slight breeze, and felt pretty good. This time on the trail there were several "experiences" to make it more real. As we went, we passed by another family from our ward who was on their knees with a hole in the ground burying their baby. It was even more heart wrenching because the mother of the family really is pregnant. Just seeing them there staring into the hole tore at your heart strings. Knowing they had to go on anyway, and leave the grave behind, <i>wow. Just, wow.</i><br />
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Soon after that, the angel of death (Emily Petty) came through our camp and took one member of each of our families. Considering that many families lost multiple members, losing one was still quite sad. They went off with her, and we were left to sort out our family. We lost Kyra, and while some lost the Dad's and Mom's in the family, we still missed her, even for just the 1/2 hour she was gone. Some of the families had harder times than others.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those who died in happier times</td></tr>
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We went about 2.5 miles into the hike then stopped for lunch. We had a short program during lunch, then started what was called the Women's Pull. The men went off, leaving the women behind. We had a short talk about the importance of women in our lives, and how they should be treated well by Joe Fox.<br />
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Then the women started up the hill. It was about 3/4 of a mile at a fairly steep incline, and the men were not allowed to help. There really was a feeling of helplessness, coupled with awe at the strength of the women, pulling and pushing because there was no other choice.<br />
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After that was one of the most awe-inspiring experiences I have ever had. Michelle Allen (who is WAY tougher than I am) pulled her handcart alone with her husband in the back. She represented the story of Elsie and Jens Neilson who, when he fell ill, asked her to leave him behind. She wouldn't, loaded him in the cart and kept going. She was 4'11" tall and her husband was at least 6 feet. She pulled alone, and to watch her struggle, and only be able to watch, was so hard. There was not a dry eye to be found.<br />
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After a couple of minutes of struggling (which seemed like hours) her "children" were allowed to help, and she made it up the hill. We finished the 6 mile hike is relative silence after the experiences of the day.<br />
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We got back to camp and had dinner of Sloppy Joe's and salad. They were delicious. The missionaries set up square dance which was better attended than the one on Wednesday Then the "Pony Express" came and delivered mail to all the youth from their parents. <br />
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Then we had dutch oven peach cobbler, talked around the campfire and went to bed -- this time in the back of the van because I was tired of being cold. (did I mention I'm a wimp?)<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2012/06/pioneer-trek-2012-day-4.html">Keep Reading --> Day 4</a><br />
<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2012/06/pioneer-trek-2012-day-2.html">Read Day 2</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-71157415062933650302012-06-07T22:00:00.000-06:002012-06-24T22:59:58.640-06:00Pioneer Trek 2012 - Day 2After a cold night, (probably around 55 degrees, yeah I am a wimp and shivered for two hours, until the air mattress deflated, then I was on the hard ground, but warmer) I woke up around 5:30 AM and got up and started a fire. After breakfast of oatmeal and fruit and milk (I ate Pop-Tarts I had stashed away in the car, as oatmeal for breakfast is the bane of my existence), we loaded into vehicles and drove about 1.5 hours to Martin's Cove.<br />
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We loaded up the handcarts and started the hike.<br />
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We went about 2 miles, then set down the handcarts and walked to the Dan Jones Cove where the handcart saints had weathered high winds and sub zero temperatures, since there wasn't enough room in the fort. Suzy Fox and Tressa Eads played "Come, Come, Ye Saints" as we walked into the cove. It was very peaceful.<br />
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One of the missionaries talked more about the ordeal there, and the hardships they endured.<br />
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We then continued the hike around to the place where we had left the handcarts (1.5 miles) and had lunch meat sandwiches and carrots and celery for lunch. Next, we took the handcarts to the statues that represent the men who carried the Martin handcart pioneers across the Sweetwater River in -11 degree weather.<br />
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Then we had the opportunity to cross the river ourselves. It was just over knee deep. It was cool, but not cold, but after standing in it for 15 minutes taking pictures of the others crossing, it was not as pleasant.<br />
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We finished the hike (a total of 7 miles) cleaned up the carts and then headed back to Sixth Crossing. We had chili and salad for dinner, then a fireside about Levi Savage.<br />
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Then there was time for more talking around the campfire while the kids played pioneer games, then to bed at 10:00 PM.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2012/06/pioneer-trek-2012-day-3.html">Keep Reading --> Day 3</a><br />
<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2012/06/pioneer-trek-2012-day-1.html">Read About Day 1</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-92047271477421647392012-06-06T22:00:00.000-06:002012-06-24T22:59:08.975-06:00Pioneer Trek 2012 - Day 1We woke up at 4:00 AM, had a quick breakfast of Pop-Tarts and milk, and met everyone at the church at 4:44 AM. Why 4:44? Because it's easier to remember than 4:45 (Was it 5:45, 6:45?) After several shuffles of who was going, driving, etc, we loaded into 11 cars, trucks, and vans (including our own) and headed out around 6:00 AM.<br />
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After a stop for gas, we continued on until we got to the 6th Crossing, Wyoming also known as the Willey Handcart Company rescue site. Several of the men got out to go get handcarts for the group, including me, while the rest of the group headed up to set up camp. I thought pulling a handcart would be rough, but it was quite heavy and awkward to pull by myself, even though it was empty.<br />
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Steve & Brittany Helm were the Ma and Pa of our family,
Diana and I were the Uncle and Aunt. As children were Ben Murdoch,
Steven Howes, Kyra Pace, and Julisa Maciel. It was a very eye-opening
experience to pull the handcart fully loaded like that. Two people
pulled and two pushed, in sandy soil four were on the front and back. We
had a good time getting to know each other, and finding our "groove."<br />
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We had lunch (sack lunches from home) then headed out on a 4 mile hike. Each handcart had a 5 gallon plastic bucket with up to 17 lbs of gear for each person in the "family" and two 5 gallon coolers of water. The hike included a Sweetwater River crossing. It was rather marshey and soggy, and then had an actual crossing in the deeper area. It wasn't very wide, but was still a struggle to get the handcart across.<br />
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After the hike, we went back to camp and had spaghetti and salad for dinner. We listened to a fireside about Ephraim Hanks.<br />
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Then we headed to bed at 10:00 PM after a bit of chatting by the fire. The wind had died down, but it had also cooled off quite a bit.<br />
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<a href="http://geoffreysagers.blogspot.com/2012/06/pioneer-trek-2012-day-2.html">Keep Reading --> Day 2</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-10264794070239346262012-03-28T12:23:00.000-06:002012-03-28T21:19:54.009-06:00Ten Things To Tell My Teenage Boys<br />
A blogger, Kate Connor, recently posted "<a href="http://kateelizabethconner.com/ten-things-i-want-to-tell-teenage-girls/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ten Things I Want To Tell Teenage Girls</a>", I will share it with my girls. This is my list for my boys.<br />
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Dear Son(s),<br />
<br />
As you go through life, there are a few things you need to know. Most, I learned from my dad, but some I learned by the experiences I hope you can avoid.<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Respect women.</b> All women. Respect means treating them as you would want
your future wife treated by others. Open doors for them. Offer your hand or arm when
walking. Some may turn you down; don’t let that stop you from being courteous.
Only date women that have respect for you, themselves, and others. "Don't kiss and tell" involves so much more than "kissing" and "telling." Don't <i>ever</i> say anything to anyone you would not want said about you. Be one who deserves their respect and trust, and never betray it, <i>ever</i>. Respect men too.</li>
<li><b>Don’t be so dramatic.</b> Practically everything social that happens in high school
has a zero net effect on the rest of your life. Friends come and go, true
friends stay. You might find this out the hard way. Surround yourself with friends that you can trust, and that will build you up and make you strong.</li>
<li><b>Don’t take pictures of or write things you shouldn’t.</b> You know exactly what these things are. Anything you document in <i>any </i>form, whether you post it online or not, has the potential to come back to
haunt you. Your closet will be full of the skeletons you created by accident, don't fill it with ones you created on purpose. You will probably still do stupid things. Fix the things you can, then <i>move on</i>.</li>
<li><b>Use your head.</b> Your heart makes you do things you might regret. Listen to your heart, but don't follow it blindly. Your head takes longer to make decisions, and is therefore more likely to choose correctly. Common sense is far too sparse these days. Your heart will be broken, probably multiple times. If
it’s not, you are either extremely lucky, or didn’t actually care as much as
you thought you did.</li>
<li><b>Being sad is okay. So is being angry.</b> However, never make a decision when
consumed by either of these emotions; usually you will make the wrong choice. Be cheerful, even when the situation isn't ideal, and you will have a much a happier life.</li>
<li><b>Avoid all forms of performance enhancing or mood altering drugs.</b> The best
path for success <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i> includes hard
work. You may not succeed at everything you try, and that is fine. It does not give you permission to stop trying. </li>
<li><b>Smoking is not cool.</b> It is not smart. You will thank yourself when you
can tell your own child you have never <i>ever</i> smoked.</li>
<li><b>What other people think of you matters a lot more than you think it does, <i>and</i> a lot less.</b> There will be times in your
future that everything that you have worked for will rest on what people think
of you. What your boss, your wife, your children think of you will alter your
course in life more than you realize. Never be afraid of working too hard, but
don’t let your work become more important than your family. You can (and
probably will) change employment numerous times in your life. Your family –
especially the one you created yourself should be the most important thing in
your life.</li>
<li><b>Help others.</b> Male or female, no matter their station. You will get much
further in life by bringing people with you than holding or pushing them back.
Help them for their benefit, not yours. Your benefit will often show up later
in unexpected ways.</li>
<li><b>You are exceptional.</b> Every day you have the choice on how to live your future.
It’s okay to be wrong and change course, but make sure you have weighed the
potential <i>final</i> outcomes, not just the <i>immediate</i> roadblocks. You are important to
someone, somewhere, always. Be worthy of that admiration. There
are successful people in every industry, regardless of height or weight. What
matters most is your attitude. Never act less than the prince you are, and the king that you can become.</li>
</ol>
Love,<br />
Dad<br />
<br />
Anything I missed? Please leave a comment below, and feel free to share this article with friends.Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-73679618269795184752012-03-14T17:10:00.003-06:002012-04-02T16:16:46.510-06:00Drawing My Own ConclusionsThe past several months I have been trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I would like to say that I have it all figured out now. But I don't. I know what I have done for the past 6 years (web development). I know what I don't want to do from the three years before that (commissioned sales). I know that I like to draw. I consider it a talent. I don't consider myself to be the best artist by any stretch of the imagination; but I can rightly claim people on my team rarely lose at Pictionary. Just sayin. Anyway, to that end, I have had some free time in the past couple months to work on my digital artwork skills. I have completed over 50 "subway art" type projects with a decent amount of satisfaction with each one done. At the prodding of my sister, I recently completed these:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMokB_z84nXMOLViFn8iKKgEwEBhE18ACqLvx5bQ3AVSSkRtJwPhiEAvceRJfllyyCsq2zzcMibMgP6K66wKhIF0B-0740nbq5-uEvqV4djpdXzraXl1QyLed-8qnBpvrkMenAkA/s1600/nurseryrhymes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMokB_z84nXMOLViFn8iKKgEwEBhE18ACqLvx5bQ3AVSSkRtJwPhiEAvceRJfllyyCsq2zzcMibMgP6K66wKhIF0B-0740nbq5-uEvqV4djpdXzraXl1QyLed-8qnBpvrkMenAkA/s640/nurseryrhymes.jpg" width="387" /></a></div>
They are 8x10 (or 16x20) sized drawings for hanging on a nursery wall. Now, just so you don't get the wrong idea, I don't have a nursery currently, and I don't need one in the future. However, I had a great time doing them and I hope you like them. Oh, and if you are interested in purchasing them, you can buy them and many others here: <a href="http://photokapi.smugmug.com/Typeography/Nursery-Rhyme-Posters/22241913_5Ctk6C#%21i=1749930337&k=pfSST25" target="_blank">http://photokapi.smugmug.com/</a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-62671817382157204622012-02-22T12:24:00.003-07:002012-02-22T12:26:41.112-07:00The Songs She Cannot SingI am going to wax philosophical for this post. As most know, I have a 12 year old (Becca) with severe physical handicaps. These make her of an effort to care for in many respects. She is non-ambulatory (Doctor speak for doesn't move herself) and non-verbal. Not that she doesn't make noise, she is quite vocal about how she is currently feeling. Whether it's "I'm tired, and want to go home and go to bed" or a heartfelt explosion of laughter at precisely the time she is supposed to be quiet, she knows (most the time anyway) exactly what she is doing. However, she doesn't say a single word. Never has. Probably never will (in this life anyway).<br />
<br />
However, there is so much more to her than her disability. So many feelings she not only has inside, but that she evokes in others.<br />
<br />
For some, it's pity. I can't always tell if it's pity for her condition or pity towards her parents who have to care for her 24/7. To them I say, don't pity me. I have a child with guaranteed acceptance into Heaven. Something she did in the pre-mortal realm gave her the opportunity to come to this life without the temptations of Satan. I cannot imagine the power she once had that gave her the blessing to be tested in a life that's only requirement for her is that she gains a body. As her father, I know she was sent to me to give me the exact hardships I needed to be a better person. She makes me so much more grateful to those who are willing to lend a hand, without being asked. Funny things, exact hardships. They always presently come at the wrong time, but after the fact, came exactly at the right time.<br />
<br />
Some people say, "Oh you must be a very special person to merit a child like this." To them I say, thank you for the compliment, but in earthly reality, makes as much sense as "You are so blessed to be barren and childless" when you long for children. My first reaction to knowing my child would be born with disabilities was anger. How unfair life was! How, if I had known, I would have done something differently so that this wasn't what happened. I was intelligent and in good health, and my wife was well-educated, a wonderful wife, and beautiful. Why would this happen to us? At some point came acceptance, then eventually the feeling of being blessed. But those feelings aren't set in stone, and I still have all three at times, sometimes even all in the same day. She wasn't a blessing. She <i>became</i> a blessing by <i>becoming</i> one of the hardest trials I have ever had. But, like all trials, wasn't meant to be only endured, but enjoyed. Men are that they might have joy. Not will have, but might have -- it depends on our attitude toward our trials.<br />
<br />
I have had snippets of visions of a future with Becca where she has long brown locks to the middle of her back. She is running and laughing. She is beautiful. Looks just like her mom in high school, only with lighter brown hair. The grin is the same. The smile is the same. The sound of her laughter is the same. But her legs are moving her places. Her arms extend to give hugs. She has a beautiful voice. The songs she could not sing, finally pass her lips. The songs I couldn't sing, finally manifest themselves. Our loving Heavenly Father knows the songs of our hearts and looks forward when to the day when we can sing them out loud -- to Him.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>There is music in my soul today,<br />
A carol to my King,<br />
And Jesus, listening, can hear<br />
The songs I cannot sing.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>- Eliza E. Hewitt (LDS Hymns 227)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFW-7OSEu78kDvJpMp0l6nHOORSkIjaTODOkaL-uXiwNohmpJJvIuLiaZxRy3bMBskEkfxFJhwp4PG3o667G026tPsVrIRLyleY1Mnp9NdOTUKwGE2b8Q2LMGuxXPUYWs-G0o4w/s1600/andjesuslisteningcanhear-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFW-7OSEu78kDvJpMp0l6nHOORSkIjaTODOkaL-uXiwNohmpJJvIuLiaZxRy3bMBskEkfxFJhwp4PG3o667G026tPsVrIRLyleY1Mnp9NdOTUKwGE2b8Q2LMGuxXPUYWs-G0o4w/s400/andjesuslisteningcanhear-05.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Download and print other colors at<br /><a href="http://beccabug.com/blog/2012/02/the-songs-i-cannot-sing-printable/" target="_blank">http://beccabug.com/blog/2012/02/the-songs-i-cannot-sing-printable/</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><br /></i></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-91056073425012284642012-02-13T22:33:00.003-07:002012-02-13T22:35:22.411-07:00Things You Will NEVER Hear My Wife Say...First off, this is tounge-in-cheek; we are happily married, and drive each other happily crazy sometimes. So, in honor of this fact, I came up with a list of things that my wife will never say to me, no matter how long we are married. <br />
<ul>
<li>Wow, I ate just the right amount at dinner; I'm sure this will last me until breakfast.</li>
<li>I can't reach that, it's just TOO high!</li>
<li>I couldn't sleep another wink. No, really!</li>
<li>I woke up like two hours before you this morning, just to make you a lovely breakfast. </li>
<li>Thanks for taking the kids for the afternoon, but hurry back, I miss them so much already!</li>
<li>You know what would be awesome? Watching you play video games for a couple hours.</li>
<li>I cannot believe how nice my hair looks today -- and I didn't even use a brush!</li>
<li>Please don't give me more chocolate.</li>
<li>Look honey! I went to the store and bought these 5 outfits and they all fit perfectly with NO alterations required!</li>
<li>While you were gone, I finished up your "honey do" list. You were almost done anyway.</li>
<li>I am afraid we have too much time and money, what will we do with all this surplus?</li>
<li>I don't need a pet of any sort, they would just take my time away from you.</li>
<li>Of course I wanna watch a Naked Gun / Hot Shots marathon, let's hurry!</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love you Diana!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Valentines Day!</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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P.S. Her list is <a href="http://ladybugdiana.blogspot.com/2012/02/things-you-will-never-hear-my-husband.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-30122952700182780412012-02-12T21:11:00.000-07:002012-02-12T21:11:23.849-07:00Valentine's 2012Here are the valentines the I helped the kids make this year. They sound even better if you say them in a Sean Connery voice.<br />
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<br />Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-36130213089577414612012-01-08T14:48:00.000-07:002012-01-08T14:49:08.517-07:00Book of Mormon Reading Chart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
This year's Gospel Doctrine Study is the Book of Mormon. One of my goals is to read it as a family within the year. We have started it several times before, but often get sidetracked or fizzle out. I am sure I am not the only one with this issue. To help me (and them) I made a deal with my children, that no matter how late it was, they could always stay up until we had read scriptures. Not only has this helped us read scriptures every night, but suprisingly has helped them go to bed better and more quickly.<br />
<br />
As one of the teachers, I encouraged the class to read the whole Book of Mormon this year, starting from the beginning. To help facilitate finishing and keeping up with reading, I put together bookmarks as a handout (Yeah, I know, how Relief Society of me.) The first column is the month, the second is the page you should be on at the last day of that month. Feel free to save it and print it, or click on the image below for a letter-sized page of 6.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kyPB1HzkxtRPamps3kMDZRXzzvnyJiBaFzvPW1O3PROgFEmkBMUqAnbGM8hyZNOsWcbZuAJwg0HaYzHqaSgu2C-aXvX22Ai-k5lT81SylXfVXo6VnSHvQEz1mON-MwlEu9BXCQ/s1600/scripturebookmarks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" float:left;="" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kyPB1HzkxtRPamps3kMDZRXzzvnyJiBaFzvPW1O3PROgFEmkBMUqAnbGM8hyZNOsWcbZuAJwg0HaYzHqaSgu2C-aXvX22Ai-k5lT81SylXfVXo6VnSHvQEz1mON-MwlEu9BXCQ/s320/scripturebookmarks.jpg" width="320" /></a>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19068957.post-3277659507295644962011-12-13T16:58:00.000-07:002011-12-13T17:00:09.695-07:00Remembering the little things...I am terrible at keeping a journal; I used to be rather regular about it, but I'm not anymore. I could say I will be better someday, but that may not happen either. However, these are a few of the things I want to remember about my family right now.<br />
<br />
Diana (Age Classified) Adorable. Loving and thoughtful. Sometimes too thoughtful. Forgiving of my foibles, and too hard on herself for her own. There is no one I am more excited to spend eternity with. Works very hard all day every day, and like most moms, needs a recharge for the batteries that she doesn't get often enough.<br />
<br />
Becca (11.9) Wonderful, makes me feel so frustrated and so nurturing all at the same time. Cries for no reason sometimes, but laughs for unknown reasons too and that makes it all worth it. Is more work than I thought I had time for, and Diana takes the brunt of it -- most of it in stride.<br />
<br />
Emily (9) Smartest 9 year old I know. Moody beyond belief. I worry about her self-confidence. Does NOT take criticism well, but adores praise. Reads books voraciously like her mom. Passive unless you awaken the sleeping giant within. VERY helpful, even if she gets leaned on rather hard as the pseudo oldest in the family.<br />
<br />
Grace (7) Only one who inherited her mom's freckles. Cute, and smart. Asks for help with homework for companionship, not need. Sneaky. Creative and fun when she wants to be. Whines to get the privileges of her sister without the effort. Very sporty. Loving and helpful to her little brothers, fights with her older sister.<br />
<br />
Landon (4) Is a rock star to ANY song on the radio. Has all the moves down pat and knows most the words after hearing the song only a couple times. LOVES superheroes. Any of them. All of them. Knows most of their names and superpowers. Recently he's taken up being a "perdition" (Magician). All boy, but very thoughtful and caring toward Becca - even when he uses her as an obstacle in his jumping contests.<br />
<br />
Ethan (2) Momma's little shadow. Cannot be without her without asking where she is and what she is doing. Daddy is a reasonable substitute, some of the time. Needs kisses on his boo-boos, but an air kiss in the general direction fixes everything from a small bump to a face plant. Eats ALL the time.<br />
<br />
If you don't' keep a journal, at least write things down every so often. It's often the small things they do you forget, but makes them the most loveable too.Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341320260690419556noreply@blogger.com2