FeedReader

I'm going to go out on a limb here and deviate a bit from the usual posting of kiddy pictures and talk of kisses, etc. I'm going to do something even more manly than this...yes, I'm going to comment on a handy piece of technology.

So, I've been using FeedReader to keep track of all some of my favorite blogs. I realize this (or similar apps) may not be news to you. But, if you're saying, "huh...reader what?", then read on. Here's a screenprint:


It's basically a little application that allows you to put links to all your favorite blogs in one place (see the left pane in the screenprint), and to organize them into folders (I have my business news blogs in a separate folder from my family and friends blogs). When a blog title is bolded, that means there's a new post. The FeedReader will show all the posts for the blog (see top center). Clicking on the posting title will bring up the blog in the lower window.

If you want to visit the blog in your web browser, you just click on the button. But, here's the best feature of all in my opinion. . .when there's a new blog post available for any of the blogs you subscribe to, you have a little cube in the bottom right of your desktop screen that turns yellow! It's amazing...I don't have to spend time clicking around different blogs to see if there is a new post. You might do that for a month to catch a post on our blog. I just wait for the little cube to light up, and I can instantly go see what's new with friends and family.


Now, a question: FeedReader is pretty plain and simple, and free. Does anyone use a different reader that you really like. If so, comment on this blog and let me know...

Alright, back to the fluffy stuff...

Hello again! Sorry for the delay...

Our last post was a month ago...I think we can all pretty much agree: Jeff and Julie are lame bloggers! Or, is the lack of posts simply because "we're too busy kissing?" (when we were first married, this was our answering machine message).

Well, you know. When we were first married, we really were too busy kissing. Now though, our blog time is down simply due to work and keeping the kids happy. OK, I'll come clean -- some kissing too.

Anyway, on to the good stuff:

NEW NIKON D80:
Yesterday, we finally received our new digital SLR camera, and we're very excited to figure out what we're doing with it -- no clue at the moment. We both think we'll enjoy learning about photography together, so we made the jump (i.e., fairly large investment) and got some decent equipment. Hoping it sticks as a hobby.

We think it's a good thing (here I go, justifying this purchase -- minor guilt complex) that we always have a hobby of some kind together, or that we're building a skill, or learning a subject that we both find useful and/or interesting. When we were back at BYU, we signed up for pistol shooting instructions at a local gun range. Our instructor, Ken, helped us understand the ins and outs of handgun safety, maintenance, and shooting. We had the opportunity to shoot several calibers and many types of pistols. After this, we went through an NRA-sponsored marksmanship course, and we both attained a level of proficiency in shooting that we're really proud of.

That experience taught us that it's good to have something that we can accomplish together; something that neither of us was really familiar with. So, now we're trying out photography (a different kind of "shooting" activity).


Here are a few shots we took today -- nothing fancy, just "Auto" mode at this point:

That is one happy girl...both of them!

Sienna looks somewhat happy here, but really
she does not like being on her tummy.



...she does like to be on her back though...
...as long as you're in her face.



Ethan being a good big brother... giving a kiss. Sienna
was just crying before this picture, so we gave her a
pacifier, and Ethan said, "You just need calm down." It was awesome!

SNOW IN SEATTLE:
Last night, it snowed several inches where we live. Ethan and I (Jeff) wasted no time -- the snow comes and goes very fast in Seattle. We put daddy's snow hat on him, and mommy's gloves (we haven't bought him snow gear yet), and out we went. Ethan was really captivated by all the little branches and bushes being covered in snow.

Here's Ethan's first 'snowman' -- not quite large enough to give Ethan bad dreams at night:

And now, it's nigh-nigh time...

Happy Halloween!

This year Ethan was a puppy and Sienna was a giraffe. We attended our ward's "Trunk or Treat" and had so much fun. Ethan caught on to the whole trick or treating idea pretty quick. Even after it was over, he still ran up to people an opened up his goodie bag, silently asking for more with his big, brown, well, puppy dog eyes.

Intro post

Julie and I met at BYU in 2002 -- we both ended up at the blues and poetry night, oddly enough. Well, not as odd for me...I grew up playing the tenor saxophone, mainly jazz and blues. Julie showed up with some friends.

And, lucky she did (for both of us, of course). I went to the event by myself, with my tenor saxophone, knowing that they would have an open mic at some point. Julie went with some friends. My roommates/friends at the time could not be persuaded to join me, because some of the girls in our dorm community (Heritage Halls) were having a Disney movie-thon. My friends were really cool guys, but don't ask me what makes a man opt out of live music in favor of Disney flicks (yes, I'm talking about cartoons). Nevermind -- I know the reason: Guys will do anything for the ladies...especially at BYU.

Well, I was no different. As soon as Julie sat down next to me at the blues and poetry gig, I was locked onto target. And, lucky me, so was she! When the stage opened up for a jam session, I was eager to swoon this girl with my incredible blues riffs. A vivid memory is still in my mind: I was on stage, playing blues in a really bad key for me (key of C, which is B-flat on the tenor sax, yuck). But, I didn't care -- I was watching Julie move out on the dance floor. And, she was watching me. Just six months later, we were married.

Somehow, I got into accounting, instead of music. A complete shift, since accounting is not free, creative, or really even that much fun; unlike music. But, it turned out that BYU has one of the best accounting programs in the U.S. I completed a master's degree in accounting, and I ultimately landed a good job with Ernst & Young, one the big ("Big Four") public accounting firms.

Julie, on the other hand, completed a bachelor's degree in civil engineering -- right up her alley. She worked with water resources (dams, reservoirs, canals...) with the Bureau of Reclamation. She got me through school. Then, we started expanding the family, beginning with Ethan in 2005. At that point, Julie quit work to be a full-time mommy; by no means is this an easy job. In August of this year, we added one more: Sienna. She's a beautiful little girl that finally brought some of daddy's gene's to the table.

People we meet now are sometimes surprised that we're both very multi-dimensional people. That is, I haven't always been the accountant-type, playing with Excel spreadsheets and analyzing financial information. And, Julie hasn't always been the mommy-type, dreaming of changing diapers and cleaning baby food off the walls and carpet. For us, this blog is like a little family journal; a way to share our interests and experiences with our friends and family. Enjoy!