Brendan & Nikki Burke

NOT THE ELLIPTICAL

2010-12-27T16:12:00.009-07:00

What was our greatest Christmas gift this year? Here’s a hint: it wasn’t the new elliptical machine.

Welcome to the world, Mason Nickolas Burke. Born on Dec. 1, 2010, Mason weighed in at 9 lbs and was 22 inches long. (Not quite as big as his older brother, thankfully).

Here are a few photos, in reverse order.

BEE MASTER

2010-09-15T14:54:00.003-06:00

I am the greatest bee catcher on South Mountain!

Take a look at the photo below. Impressive, right? Now, before you go feeling sorry for these creatures, know that they were swarming around my son’s backyard pool about to attack.

If the first photo failed to impression, check out the this one that was taken less than 12 hours after I emptied the trap the night before.

Is the World ready for another Hunter?

2010-08-25T22:03:00.006-06:00

Hunter at Farm Country wanting to be a Cowboy like his Great-Grandpa Hunter!

At the Salt Lake County Fair, no fear of animals of any size! Mr. Spikey Hair

On our Road Trip to Oregon, Hunter discovered Blow Pops.

Riding on the back of Dad's Bike!

Ready or not . . . Baby Boy Burke II expected arrival, November 2010!

UGH... BABY PHOTOS?

2010-07-16T11:18:00.018-06:00

Nikki tells me that we don't want to turn into bloggers that only post photos of their children. Apparently, "it's tacky." Oh well, I'm cleaning out the iPhone and need to immortalize a few of my favorite Hunter moments:

"Rollin' in my 0.0 with the ragtop down so my hair can blow..."

Our neighbors probably hate the pool as much as Hunter loves it.
The kid vaccumed the entire downstairs last Saturday, no joke.
Mixing his two favorite things, cars & ladies.
Spaghetti wins again.

Desperately trying to escape Nikki's clutches.

At the price we paid, that car seat had better be comfortable.

Sportin' the lady shades.

Jammin' with cousin Brynnlee.

Helping with the dishes? Not so much.

The natural faux hawk. Is there any other way?

This one makes me laugh. Apparently, my son was once a chubbly, little German kid.

IN THIS CORNER...

2010-05-12T22:40:00.007-06:00

Hunter got into a fight with a coffee table last night. He lost. Despite his swollen left eye, he was in good spirits this morning. A little shiner won't stop him.

THESE 3 THINGS

2010-03-31T17:46:00.003-06:00

-The end of Finding Nemo
-An episode of Parenthood on NBC
-Zac Brown’s “Highway 20 Ride” music video

What do these three things have in common? Well… they all made me cry.

Apparently, fatherhood has made me soft. I did make it through The Blind Side without shedding a tear – Nikki cannot say the same.

LOST

2010-02-22T16:41:00.006-07:00

I have a buddy who recently posed an interesting question. “If you could put a group of people on a plane that would crash on a deserted island and be lost forever, whom would you choose?”

Here is my list:

Nancy Pelosi
“Saving the world” at everyone else’s expense, both literally ($$$) and figuratively.

Kanye West
I don’t dislike you because I’m a racist. I dislike you because you’re an idiot.

Britax
You can’t make a car seat that costs less than $400? And you had to show that child safety video that made Nikki cry in the middle of Baby’s R’ Us, didn’t you?

Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland
Feel free to keep singing, but please don’t make us watch your face. Are you constipated, confused, in pain? What is it?

Dane Cook
Even I can appreciate the occasional well-placed F-bomb, but dropping it every third word isn’t funny. Know what else isn’t funny? Stealing jokes from other comedians.

The Creators of Olive Garden Commercials
Earth to you: people who visit your restaurant don’t sit around and make G-rated jokes about how someone in their dinner party can’t resist your delicious food. Stop insulting our intelligence.

Nickelback and their Clones (Staind, 3 Doors Down, Daughtry)
Seriously, enough is enough… The only thing than worse than your smoker voices is your fabricated angst. Who listens to this crap, anyway? Maybe it’s the fifth-graders who are writing your lyrics. And I thought the world would have learned its lesson with Creed.

Michael Moore
Distorting the truth one cheeseburger at a time.

Kobe Bryant
Hug your kids in front of the camera. Kiss your wife. Try to make us think you’re a good guy. But we still remember what you did back in 2003.

UDOT Workers
Tell me why it takes more than two full years to put in an exit at 114th South? Here’s an idea: have more than one person work at a time.

Keith Olberman
At least pretend to be unbiased when reporting “the news”.

Jay Leno
Conan got screwed, and you’re still not funny.

Hunter -- already a Character

2010-01-22T20:29:00.005-07:00

I thought I would post a couple of pictures of Hunter from the last couple of weeks. He is already quite a character and keeps us both laughing.

Hunter's sweet bed head that he wakes up with after each nap and in the morning:

Zoo Lights at Hogle Zoo:

Brendan really hopes Hunter will want to play Football:
Just chillin on the plane to Portland, eating a Candy Cane:

Hunter's new obsession and favorite toy, his toothbrush!! Making his Grandpa Hunter proud!!

byePod

2009-12-04T12:11:00.007-07:00

As I prepare to fill my iPod with new songs, I pay tribute to the ones that have gone before. These aren't necessarily my favorites, but they are the songs that i could never bring myself to skip, in no particular order:

Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
If I had my own British band, this is what I would sing

>Fire Burning (Sean Kingston)
Not typically my kind of music, but this Kingston kid's got something. Does this song suck? Yes. Do I totally love it? Also yes.

>There Goes My Heart (Alan Jackson)
This will forever remind my time (and trials) while dating Nikki

>Tick Tick Boom (The Hives)
More like Tick Tick... Awesome

>Pump Up the Volume (MARRS)
Does anyone remember this song? Know who does? A 12-year-old Brendan practicing his breakdancing on the kitchen linoleum

>No Hablo Ingles (Bowling for Soup)
Cheesy, but I love cheese... especially the delicious kind

>A-Punk (Vampire Weekend)
Finally, some Vampires I can support

>No You Girls (Franz Ferdinand)
One of my favorite bands singing one of their coolest songs

>By Your Side (Sade)
One of, if not, the best makeout songs ever

>If You’re Wondering If I Want You To (Weezer)
These guys seem to come out with something good every few years

>Toes (Zac Brown Band)
Zac Brown's version of what I call a “Kenny Chesney beer on the beach in Mexico song,” except this is his first time singing one. Chesney just released his 87th, I think

>Angel (Shaggy & Rayvon)
I recently went through a phase of calling Nikki “My Shorty." As you may have guessed, it didn’t go over well.

>Adalida (George Strait)
Not this legend's best work, but it’s catchy

>Rock & Roll (Eric Hutchinson)
Play, repeat, repeat, repeat... sleep... play, repeat, repeat, repeat...

>Hear You Me (Jimmy Eat World)
One of the most beautiful and one of the most difficult song for me to listen to

>Spaceman (The Killers)
Overplayed, but amazing nonetheless

>Angels on the Moon (Thriving Ivory)
Once you get over his voice, you’ll like it

>I Gotchoo (Bowling for Soup)
Reminds me of the music I listened to during college

>Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked (Cage the Elephant)
It’s about time this cool, little tune got some recognition

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Hey, Soul Sister (Train)
Brand New (Emilie Mover)
Bad Kids (Black Lips)
Say Hey (Michael Franti & Spearhead)
Around the Bend (The Asteroids Galaxy Tour)
I’m Shipping Up to Boston (Dropkick Murphys)
Wild at heart (Gloriana)
The Great Salt Lake (Band of Horses)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-09T15:28:00.003-07:00

I know this is a little late, but here are a few photos from our Halloween Adventures through out the Month of October!

Here is a a picture of us at a party in Ogden we always go to!! The outfits were inspired by Hunter's Yoda costume!

Halloween Night with the cousins that live in Utah:
This is a picture of Brendan and his work buddies, Brendan is Cookie Monster!! They were the hit of the party and I thought this was very clever of them!

Brendan's job does a huge Halloween Party every year for the Employees. This year they had hired a couple of Improv Comedians. Well during one skit, one of the comedians was acting out a fight with Cookie Monster, so Brendan impulsively ran up on stage and tackled him (see below) in front of his entire company.

Brendan and me as Pirates for a Halloween Party hosted by a good friend in our neighborhood!!

DRIVING IN UTAH

2009-09-16T16:34:00.005-06:00

I used to think the following rules were a joke, but after dealing with an average of four daily accidents enroute to work, I am a believer.

Let’s finally admit it. We Utahns are the worst drivers on the planet.

With that, I give you...

15 BASIC RULES FOR DRIVING IN UTAH

1. Turn signals will give away your next move. A real Utah driver never uses them.

2. Under no circumstance should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by somebody else, putting you in an even more dangerous situation.

3. The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of being hit.

4. Never, ever come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects it, and it will result in you being rear-ended.

5. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving you a relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to stretch your legs.

6. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right. It's a good way to scare people entering the highway.

7. Speed limits are arbitrary, given only as a suggestion and are apparently unenforceable in Utah during rush hour.

8. Just because you're in the left lane and have no room to speed up or move over doesn't mean that a Utah driver flashing his high beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.

9. Always slow down and rubberneck when you see an accident or even someone changing a tire.

10. Learn to swerve abruptly. Utah is the home of high-speed slalom driving thanks to the State Highway Department, which puts potholes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes.

11. It is traditional in Utah to honk your horn at cars that don't move the instant the light turns green.

12. Remember that the goal of every Utah driver is to get there first by whatever means necessary.

13. If a driver stupidly signals to get into your lane, accelerate as fast as possible so that they can move in behind you. They either don't know what they're doing or are from out of state. Remember, using your blinkers confuses Utah drivers.

14. If you haven't maneuvered into the correct lane to exit, because you are on an important cell phone call, feel free to swerve across 3 lanes without signaling. You wouldn't want to waste the extra fuel by waiting for the next one. Besides, that's why they widened the highway.

15. Slam on your brakes whenever you see a police officer. It's a good way to warn other drivers that they should all fall in line behind the officer to form a traffic bottleneck. Once he has safely exited, resume speeding.

Oh how I love to SWING . . . .

2009-08-20T09:46:00.005-06:00

Independence Day -- by Nikki

2009-07-09T18:57:00.005-06:00

For those people that know me, you know how much I love the 4th of July Holiday and how proud I am to be an American. I grew up in an area where people are proud of who they are and the country we live in. Where I come from, people fly flags and more importantly stand up and put their hand on their heart and say the Pledge of Allegiance. We honor veterans and say our prayers every day to thank the God above for those men and women who gave their lives in the name of Freedom and those that continue to fight each and every day for the freedom we enjoy. Next to my Dad, Mom, Husband and Family, George Washington is and forever will be my Hero. And on a daily basis, I question why the people running our country today cannot be more like our Founding Fathers of yesteryear. (Yes I am making a broad assumption . .I know there are good men/women in politics . .but they are few).

So yes, this past week, my Son and I dawned our Red, White, & Blue. And as long as I can dress him, it will be this way. I am not meaning to start a political debate. It honestly makes my heart ache to see the next generation and the flippancy and disrespect they have for this great Nation of ours. Again a sweeping generalization . . .but . .draw your own conclusions.

Yes I get teary eyed when I sing the Star Spangled Banner, yes I get choked up hearing the stories of war and of veterans, yes I will teach my Son the great meaning behind the US Flag, yes I will teach him about the character of our founding fathers and those great men that had a vision far beyond themselves, And yes, regardless of the day or Holiday we are celebrating, I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!

I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. -- George Washington

FOUR MONTH PHOTOS

2009-07-06T13:19:00.005-06:00

ALOHA, Hawaiian for: Affection, Love, & Peace!

2009-06-11T10:48:00.008-06:00

This past week we had the opportunity to go the Big Island, Hawaii, with my family. My parents always do an incredible job of planning our family vacations. They always make sure everyone feels involved and loved. We all had a great time and the next one cannot come soon enough.

Hunter was an amazing Baby the entire vacation. He slept on all of the plane rides, which was a huge relief to Brendan and me. When we got on the plane everyone around us looked nervous, but by the end of the 6 hour flight, we kept getting comments on what great parents we are, but really it is because we have such a great kid!!

We had a blast our week in Hawaii. We spent time on the beach, at the pool, hiking, going to the Volcano, etc. The most fun though was just being around the family and watching all the grand kids have such a great time together.

Hunter loved the pool and the sand at the beach:

(Thanks to Nalani for the awesome swim toy!!)

On one of the last days, Brendan and my brother-in-law, Denver, went snorkeling out to Captain Cook's Monument. Kasey and I took the kids to a nearby Beach. The place they went snorkeling to is known for seeing spinner dolphins. Well Brendan and Denver didn't see any dolphins, however, Kasey and I and the kids did!! They were right in the bay where we were at. Also, a local gentlemen was fishing and caught this fish . .which weighed a lot more than Hunter:

Favorite pictures of the trip!!

1. My beach bum baby!!!

2. My Happy Baby:

Also, this vacation was extremely special because we welcomed the newest member of the Hunter Family: Layla Ashton. She is Morgan and Stephanie's daughter. By the end of the first day, it felt like she had always been apart of the family and no one knew any different. Which is just how it should be!!! (Layla is on the left, with her cousin Anja on the right!)

DADDY DAY CARE

2009-05-13T17:24:00.008-06:00

It is a well known fact around our house that Dad is good at making Hunter laugh, and Mom is good at soothing him when he cries. How good is Dad at soothing an upset Hunter? He’s not.

Immediately after Nikki leaves for a party last Saturday, Hunter begins screaming. I start with the burping, move to the cradling, attempt the Mylicon drops, try the singing, the swinging and the bouncing till my arms goes numb – nothing works. Until, I try the dryer. As seen in the photo, I build a make-shift bed out of old towels, start it up and viola! The kid is sound asleep. I then spend the next hour sitting on the laundry room counter, making sure he doesn’t fall off.

Can you say, “Father of the Year?”

SIDE NOTE: If it were up to Nikki, we would have replaced our ghetto fabulous washer & dryer two years ago. I, however, think we need to drive them into the ground.

3 YEARS

2009-04-22T17:07:00.001-06:00

Happy anniversary, sweetie. Here’s to many years to come with our little guy.

PICTURE PERFECT: 2

2009-04-10T10:23:00.015-06:00

Again, I present a few of my favorite things in picture form.

BUMPY NERDS:
It’s no secret I’m a fan of weird candy, but not since since my discovery of Trolli Dinosaur Eggs has a sugary confection gotten me so excited. Too bad the Draper Harmons ran out of Bumpy Nerds last week. I learned this unfortunate fact during a midnight candy run.

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS:
I have to give credit to my brothers for this one. They swore by this odd comedy. It took about two episodes for me to get into it, but I’m now hooked. I can’t get enough of Murray their band manager, too funny. I don’t encourage you to watch it unless you appreciate dry humor. In fact, much of the general populous could watch an entire episode and think, “huh”? Again, if you laugh at “According to Jim” or “Reba”, this show is not for you.

PRINCESS CRUISE 2005:
One of the smartest decisions I ever made was to go on a cruise with an extended group of Nikki’s friends. Not only was it a blast, but it was the turning point in our relationship. (What could she do? She was trapped on a boat with me for seven days). Even smarter was my suggestion that we become exclusive a week before we set sail. I’ve never been much of a player, but I’ve got to admit, that was smooth.

ESTE:
I was just there today for lunch, tastiest pizza in Utah. Runners up include Big Apple and N.Y.P.D.

22 COTTONWOOD DRIVE:
This one is for my siblings. I took this photo last December as I pulled up to my parent's Sunriver vacation home on a quiet Sunday night. Twenty plus years of memories came flooding back: sledding on the golf course, fake candy stores, bike rides, puzzles and river rafting water fights. Childhood was great, wasn’t it?

CAPTAIN ADORABLE:
Sorry Batman, I have a new favorite superhero. Man, I love this kid. Light of my life…

THE MASTER TUB:
While it’s technically located in Nikki’s bathroom, the master tub and I have a date at least twice a week. I’ve always enjoyed a good bath, but never has the tub been so spacious and the water so jetted. Bubble bath and candles are still never involved.

BOYS WEEKEND/MARIO KART TOURNAMENT:
Last year’s Boys Weekend included the BYU vs. UCLA game in Provo and some Mario Kart at our old West Jordan house. The camera work is lacking, but the photo is priceless. The shadowy figures from left to right include Jason Boyer, Kevin Burke, Chris Burke and Bret Ahlstrom. You may notice the ragtag furnishings and wall projector. Our couches and televisions had already been moved to our new place, so I had to scrounge up any furniture I could find. We all slept on the floor. I like to think of it as indoor camping.

1979:
I don’t recall ever being homeless, but this photo suggests otherwise. Now, if I could only find my old Puerto Rico T-shirt.

TICKET TO RIDE:
The best board game on the planet! Much like Catan, it’s easy to learn, but difficult to master. I am proud to say that, at one point, I ranked 3rd among more than 13,000 Xbox gamers on the Ticket to Ride leaderboard. My skills are matched only by my brother Chris and his wife Katie.

RIRIE’S NEXT TOP MODEL:
Nikki will kill me for posting this, but I just couldn’t resist. This is one of several modeling photos of our 12-year-old Nikki. What a fox! Let’s be honest, my 14-year-old self wouldn’t have stood a chance.

HUNTER PHOTOS

2009-03-20T15:47:00.012-06:00

Friends and family have asked to see new photos of our little Hunter. Here are a few:

MEET HUNTER

2009-02-11T16:07:00.006-07:00

Hunter Romney Burke finally decided to join our family Monday, Feb. 9 at 6:38 PM. Weighing in at surprising 10 lbs, 5 oz and measuring an astounding 24 inches, he is happy, healthy and quiet. Although, we’re not quite sure where he came from, we’re happy he’s here.

Nikki was a trooper throughout the process. After 20+ hours of labor, we decided it was time for a c-section. It was a great call since she is so tiny, and he is so big. All in all, it was a weird and wonderful experience. I didn’t think it was possible, but I think I love my wife a little more now.

Favorite quotes from the experience:

-Nikki’s doctor during surgery - “He’s out, and we’re going to have him walk over to meet you.”

-In the nursery – Brendan: “Wow, look at all those premies.” Nurse: “Uh, those are regular sized babies… yours is just a moose.”

*Let it be known that “Moose” is not his official nickname. It’s “Tank.”

“It’s me… with my sweet faux hawk”:

Still a little swollen, but we’ll keep him:

The first yawn:

“In this corner, weighing in at 10 lbs, 5 oz….. it’s Hunter ‘The Taaaaaaaaaaaaank’ Burke!” Ding, ding, ding:
We put him immediately to work holding his own pacifier:

THE DANCE OFF

2009-01-29T15:36:00.002-07:00

Who says that white men can't dance? This is footage taken from our Season Ticket Holder BBQ last night. It was completely the players' (mostly Deron's) idea. Good stuff!

PRE-WEEKEND HUMOR

2009-01-23T11:34:00.001-07:00

Today is dragging, so I thought I’d share a few funny videos.

LAWRENCE WELK:

And I thought the real Lawrence Welk show was funny.

RAS TRENT:

Unfortunately, downtown Portland is crawling with guys like this.

CHARLIE BIT ME:

You’ve probably already seen this, but it deserves a presence. Did I mention that Nikki now wants a kid with a British accent?

JANICE & BILLY:

This is only funny because Billy doesn’t get hurt, at least not physically.

TRIUMPH & THE STAR WARS NERDS:

A bit off color at times but a true classic, this one makes me laugh Every. Single. Time. I’m talking about an almost-wet-your-pants-you’re-laughing so hard experience. "Burger King, where all Dragon Masters eat."

IRONY

2009-01-05T16:21:00.003-07:00

So, this is what happened when our mailbox recently met a snowplow. Those who read my previous mailbox entry will see the irony in this. To my credit, the pole, which is buried in 50 lbs of concrete, remains unmoved.

For those concerned, our mailbox has since detached completely and is now gently resting on a bank of snow… two feet from its pole. Surprisingly, delivery continues without interruption.

The Baby Shower

2008-12-09T20:37:00.008-07:00

Saturday my friends and family had a Baby Shower for me and the little guy doing flips in my tummy!!

It was so fun to see everyone! I feel very spoiled and very lucky to have so many wonderful friends and great family!!

We are getting so excited to meet the little guy!!

Here are some pictures from the shower:

Brendan's Aunt Heidi got us this

bear rug, it was a huge hit:

Here is my dear friend Nalani who helped plan the shower:

Here are my girlfriends from Book Club:

My girlfriends from work:

My girlfriends from the gym:

And my dear friends Kathleen, Pam and Allison:

I have to give a shout out to my dear friend Nikki, (yes we have the same name and spell it the same) She made this amazing Diaper Cake . .everyone was very impressed:

I had such a blast and loved seeing everyone!! I am truly a lucky person to be surrounded by so many wondeful, amazing people!!

SOMETIMES I LOVE MY JOB

2008-11-26T17:37:00.003-07:00

We’re currently running a contest where fans are encouraged to create a theme song for the Utah Jazz. At the end of the contest, we’ll pick a winner and play their song in-arena, on radio, etc.

Here's the video spot for it (notice Boozer’s enthusiasm, or lack thereof):

Here’s kind of stuff we’re receiving:

Until this one came in :):

I can't decide if this is the best or worst song I’ve ever heard. It makes me laugh every time I listen to it. Like it or not, you have to admit that it’s catchy. I’ve got it memorized, just ask anyone who sits within 20 feet of me.

BOND IS BETTER

2008-11-18T18:07:00.012-07:00

There was a recent debate on the radio show I listen to during my morning commute. The question raised: who is a better character, Edward from Twilight or James Bond? Here are my thoughts: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! There is no debate. Bond is better. Simply look to the photo above for your answer.

Perhaps I am bias, as Nikki and I just saw Quantum of Solace last Friday. It rocked.

“How would you know? You didn’t even read Twilight,” you may say. Ah, but here is my latest confession, I did. (Granted, it was a book on tape, but that counts.) I was prompted to “read” it after Nikki chastised me for judging I book I hadn’t read. Big mistake on my part to accept the challenge.

It was, to say the least, a frustrating ordeal - six hours of a listening to a love-sick teenager describe her boyfriend’s handsomeness and her subsequent physical reactions to said handsomeness. How many times can his “marble chest” take her breath away? How many times will his “steely eyes” make her heart skip a beat? (Way too many.) But wait, he’s got a terrible secret! Something horrible happens to him when he steps into the sunlight…. ready for it? He glistens. That’s right, he glistens in the sunlight, making him even more handsome. What a terrible, scary vampire secret. (Please note heavy sarcastic overtones.)

FINALLY, when another vampire tries to kill her (and something exciting actually happens) the book ends.

I must give Stephanie Meyer credit, however. She is a talented writer. Using the following ingredients, she has concocted a recipe for the perfect, forgive the expression, “Chick Book:”

-An insecure and unassuming teenager becomes the "It" girl at her new school. Little did she know how truly beautiful and special she was!
-A modern dusting off of the Romeo & Juliet story. Forbidden love, etc., etc.

-A god-like boyfriend who is an intoxicating enigma of bad boy, cowboy & stalker. Oh, and did I mention that, for some reason, he only has eyes for her? “But why? She’s so plain!” Oh no, she’s the new “It” girl in town. She just didn’t know it.

Barf. Bond is better. Case closed.

*PS – I may be sleeping on the couch tonight.

October 31st -- Halloween Night

2008-11-06T18:41:00.006-07:00

We had an awesome Halloween. We actually were able to get together with my entire family. My little sister and her family came down from Idaho to go trick-or-treating with their cousins. My parents were already in Utah and staying with us. And my brother Tom is working here in Utah for a little while and got to come over for all of the chaos and fun!! All of the grand-kids went trick or treating and then ended up at our house for more sugar and fun!!

Here is a picture of Anja and Kristian as Alice in Wonderland and the White Rabbit:

Here is a picture of all of the grand-kids:
We had a Vampire, Asian Princess, 2 Pirates, Superman, Alice in Wonderland & the White Rabbit, so much fun!!

This is Brendan's favorite picture of the night, all of the Moms taking pictures of the kids and trying to get them to hold still!!

Girls Weekend -- San Diego

2008-11-02T10:42:00.003-07:00

Last weekend, some of my girlfriends decided to take a trip to San Diego for a Girls Weekend. We had so much fun, hopefully we will make it an annual event. There were 7 of us that went and had a blast!!

One of the highlights of the trip was taking a "Haunted Tour of San Diego." The tour guides, I think flunked out of acting school but still made it very fun. They put us on a bus and drove us to different sites in San Diego that are supposedly haunted . . .I think we did more laughing than getting scared, but all in all it was a very fun adventure.

The weather was absolutely perfect for us, in fact it was so nice .. we were wishing we would have planned a beach day.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip:

Here is us on Coronado Island: Trina, April, Jill, Jayna, Camille, Emily, and me.

This is us on the boardwalk down by the GasLamp District!!

We took a drive to La Jolla and took a little hike out to the coast to watch the Sunset. It was an amazing view:

SPOOKTACULAR

2008-10-23T18:11:00.030-06:00

For all the teasing I give Nikki for constantly coming home with new Halloween decorations, I have to give her credit for making everything so festive.

Here are some samples of the magic she performed last weekend. Great job, babe!

This is my masterpiece from last weekend. Not impressed? What you’re not seeing is the 50 lbs of concrete it’s buried in. Come wind, snow or drunk teenager, that thing is not moving… ever.

So what if I accidently cemented it in upside down. It’s nothing that some creativity and broken drill bits couldn’t fix.

Halloween 2008

2008-10-19T20:42:00.005-06:00

I know it isn't Halloween yet, but tis the season!! We love this time of year and love the Halloween Holiday. We try and dress up and go out at least once during the season. This year we were invited to a Hogwarts, Harry Potter Party. We decided it would be fun to go as the dark side of the Harry Potter characters and go as: He who shall remain nameless/ Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange

This party we went to is up in Ogden at an old historic mansion. The owner of the place goes all out and this year was no exception. I really felt like I was at Hogwarts, with the Hogwarts Express and all.

The best costume by far was a gentleman that came as Hagrid. If you are not up on your Harry Potter trivia, Hagrid is the very large man who is the Animal Keeper at the school. This guy walked in and the entire room stopped to look. He must have put 12 inch blocks on his feet . .he looked exactly like the character.

We always attend this party with our dear friend, Jayna. This year her Mom attended as well . .Jayna went as Indiana Jane and her Mom went in Black and Orange!! Here is a picture of the girls!!

I hope all of you have a very fun, festive and safe Halloween!!

New York, September 2008

2008-10-12T19:05:00.005-06:00

Brendan and I decided to take a little trip, before the little guy is born. We decided it would be really fun to go to New York and see a Yankee's game before they take down the old stadium. Brendan is a huge Yankees fan and has been one for years.

We got to see one of the final games in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees played the White Sox and ended up winning by a landslide. It was a very fun experience and Brendan loved every single minute of it.

We also took in a lot of the tourist sites: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockfeller Center, Central Park, etc. And much to Brendan's chagrin, did a ton of shopping!!! We also went to two musicals: The Little Mermaid & Mary Poppins. Brendan was a great sport for going to 2 Disney musicals with me.

The Little Mermaid was absolutely awesome!! I would highly recommend it to everyone traveling to New York. Mary Poppins was good, but our experience was somewhat dampened by the people behind us singing along with every song.

Here are some of our photos from our New York Adventure:

POLITICO

2008-10-10T11:27:00.004-06:00

A harmless blog such as this may be no place for politics, but I have to vent about a phenomenon sweeping our country, the uninformed voter. Let me preface by saying that I am a registered Independent because I dislike the two-party system. I believe it hinders progress, action and harmony. That said, anyone who has gone toe-to-toe with me in a political debate knows where I stand.

Now, I have friends on both the right and left, and I respect anyone with deep political convictions, as long as they actually know what they are. The trouble lies with those who preach about, glorify or criticize candidates without knowing the issues/facts.

For example, and in my opinion,

-Voting for someone because they remind you of your grandpa is ridiculous
-Voting for someone because Oprah and Leonardo Dicaprio tell you to is ridiculous
-Voting for someone because you think their running mate is cute is ridiculous
-Voting for someone because of a trendy slogan is ridiculous

You get the idea.

So, in the spirit of this political season, I’ve included a cheatsheet of some prominent issues/facts and each candidate’s stance. (A friend recently sent this to a few weeks ago. I have tried to strip it of any bias. Forgive me if some still lingers.) Enjoy:

ISSUE: Favors new US drilling offshore
John McCain: Yes
Barak Obama: No

ISSUE: Served in the US Armed Forces
John McCain: Yes
Barak Obama: No

ISSUE: Time served in the US Senate
John McCain: 22 years
Barak Obama: 3 years

ISSUE: Will institute a socialized national health-care plan
John McCain: No
Barak Obama: Yes

ISSUE: Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy
John McCain: No
Barak Obama: Yes

ISSUE: Would pull troops out of Iraq
John McCain: No
Barak Obama: Yes

ISSUE: Supports gun ownership rights
John McCain: Yes
Barak Obama: No

ISSUE: Supports homosexual marriage
John McCain: No
Barak Obama: Yes

ISSUE: Voted to make English the official language of USA
John McCain: Yes
Barak Obama: No

ISSUE: Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants
John McCain: No
Barak Obama: Yes

ISSUE: CAPITAL GAINS TAX
John McCain: 0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). Does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.
Barak Obama: 28% tax on profit from all home sales.

ISSUE: DIVIDEND TAX
John McCain: 15% (no change)
Barak Obama: 39.6% dividend tax

ISSUE: INCOME TAX
John McCain:
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

Barak Obama:
Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750

ISSUE: ESTATE TAX
John McCain: 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)
Barak Obama: Restore the inheritance tax - New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet - New gasoline taxes - New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) - New taxes on retirement accounts - New taxes to pay for socialized medicine

Please refer to the following sites for verification:
http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html

http://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+taxes
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_obama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_mccain/

PICTURE PERFECT

2008-09-10T17:37:00.018-06:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, and we all know I’m rarely short on those. So, here are a few of my favorite things, in picture form.

THE HARLINE CATCH:
At the risk of sounding like a Ute fan still talking about 2004, I still get chills when thinking of this moment. Never has blown coverage looked so good. Never has BYU victory tasted so sweet. It should be noted that my brother and I were dangerously close to a fist fight with several angry Ute fans about 30 seconds after this catch. It was completely unprovoked on our side, of course...

ANCHORMAN:
I could watch it a million times, and it never gets old. “Baxter, you know I don’t speak Spanish.”

SENIOR PHOTO:
Wow. I’ve seen Nikki look cute in hundreds of photos but never with so much hair. How did the photographer fit it all in?

P-TOWN:
No matter where I go, there’s still no place like home.

GLORIA:
She looks gooood after a bath.
*A special thanks goes out to Nikki’s new Pilot. Its presence has enabled me to retire the big, old Suburban and reunite with my automotive crush.

SHOCKWAVE:
My favorite Christmas present of all time. Too bad I sold it on ebay while in college. Nostalgia runs cheap when you need gas money.

BABY BURKE:
Best. Thing. Ever! Even if he looks more like a monkey with a mullet at this point, we can’t wait for our new, little guy to arrive late January. Let's hope he looks like his mom and doesn't act like his dad.

FALL = FOOTBALL

2008-09-01T14:02:00.003-06:00

I know it is not Fall quite yet, but still we love this time of year! It starts cooling down, the leaves start changing making the mountains amazing and of course, BYU FOOTBALL!!!

We headed down to Lavell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, along with 65,000 other BYU Fans for their season opener vs. Northern Iowa. You might be asking yourself, who is Northern Iowa . . .I had to ask myself the same question!! :)

Brendan, his brother Chris and myself were overly excited to head down south to "COUGAR-TOWN!!"

The game was fun and exciting. We had plenty of opportunities to stand and sing the BYU Fight Song as BYU cruised past the Northern Iowa Panthers 40 to 17!!

**A note from Brendan: While Northern Iowa is technically not a "real" team, we look forward to stomping better opponents soon!

DANCE FEVER

2008-08-28T10:02:00.003-06:00

Recently, I contracted the fever, Dancer Fever. No, I’m not the one dancing, but it has been on my mind. Maybe it’s because I joined Nikki in watching ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ this season. Maybe it’s because I was asked to be a returning judge for the Jazz Dancer Auditions.

Who's to say how I got it, but allow me to share some of my favorite dancing:

Berries & Crème:
Very odd, very quirky, but it makes me laugh every time.

the commercial:

Hooked on a Feeling:
Impossible tobogganing, the gift of flight, the ability to create three-dimensional boxes from thin air… is there anything the Hoff cannot do? Throw in some Dachshunds and Angels in, say, the Amazon Rainforest, and you’ve got something special. Truly, truly Hoffrageous.

Aicha:
Gellie Man, you genius! Never mind the fact that your video failed to impress your prospective online girlfriend. Never mind the fact that she disrespected you by sending it to the entire world. Even if you can’t spell, “Aisha”, you’re still a creative mastermind in my book. Your teenage angst and cinematic use of Minnie Mouse bed sheets is unprecedented.

“She moves how???” That’s right, Gellie Man, like a briz… like a briz.

I anxiously await your next masterpiece.

Finnish Delight:
Forget Napoleon Dynamite, it’s obvious the Finns created the most entertaining dance sequence ever two decades earlier. BEST. MUSIC. VIDEO. EVER!

Summer Concerts

2008-08-03T20:48:00.004-06:00

If any of you have spent a Summer night at Usana Amphitheater listening to great music and enjoying a wonderful Utah Evening, well then you will appreciate this post.

A few months ago, my friend Nikki (yes she has the same name and spells it the same too!!) and I were talking about going to a concert out at Usana. We looked up the schedule and saw that John Mayer was coming and Colbie Callet was opening for him. We both agreed that this would be a wonderful concert to go on a double date too. So we purchased tickets. Needless to say, both of our husbands had the same reaction . . .basically very unhappy about being dragged to a John Mayer concert.

The night finally arrived. Let's just say, Brendan had more fun people watching and making fun of things than actually listening to the music.

I on the other hand, really enjoyed it. Colbie and John Mayer were awesome. They both sounded exactly like the CDs, which says something about their level of talent.

Here are a few pictures from the event!!

If any of you ever get a chance to attend a concert out at Usana, you should totally do it!!

Here is: Clint, Nikki, Me & Brendan.

VIDS FROM THE BFR

2008-07-09T16:43:00.007-06:00

Nikki and I recently bought a video camera, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it out at the 2008 Burke Family Reunion last month in Jackson Hole. Those of you not at the reunion may find these videos a bit boring. But, some members of my family are... how should I put it, “digitally challenged.” Posting them online seemed like a good way of sharing them.

More “exciting” reunion videos can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/user/DoubleBBurke

THE GROOVY GIRLS PERFORM (THE SONG OF A MILLION INSIDE JOKES):

JULI & BRYNN SING (AND DODGE SMALL CHILDREN):

NO MOOSE:

LET'S GET GEEKY

2008-07-07T16:12:00.014-06:00

For the record, I have never read a comic book (sorry, “graphic novel”), yet I find myself an avid fan of the Superhero Movie. Some would say that’s geeky. And I would say, “shut up.”

For you Superhero Movie novices or naysayers, I give you my travel guide to Superhero Movies:

MUST-SEE SUPERHERO MOVIES:

1. Batman Begins: Simply put, the best Superhero Movie ever made

2. Dark Knight (July 18, 2008): Let’s hope this is an ‘Empire Strikes Back’ and not another ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’. (Wow, that was a geeky statement.)

3. Spiderman: Toby McGuire as Spiderman, are you serious? Serious like a fox, and it works.

4. Iron Man: Who would have thought Robert Downey Jr. could play a decent superhero, and yet, here we are.

5. X-Men: It’s strange to think that Wolverine spends most of his time doing musical theatre.

6. Spiderman 2: The awesomeness continues, despite more Kirsten Dunst

7. The Incredibles: Odd that Pixar created a better 'Fantastic Four' than Marvel could

8. X2: X-Men United: What’s with the creepy guy in the wheelchair?

9. Superman Return: As Nikki says, “he’s perfect.” Silly Nikki, don’t you know that Batman is more perfecter?

10. The Incredible Hulk: A HUGE improvement from the previous incarnation. Plus, it opens in Brazil, which was total déjà vu for me, except, of course, the becoming a giant, green monster part.

SUPERHERO MOVIES TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE:

1. Hulk (2003): To quote Michael Scott, “Can I just say that, of all the bad movies, in all the bad movie villages, in all the bad movie worlds, you stand alone, my friend.”

2. Daredevil: Two words, Ben Affleck

3. Batman & Robin: Things George Clooney shouldn’t do: spout off unfounded political views and participate in Batman movies

4. Superman IV: A chubby Superman fights a Fabio-esque villain named Nuclear Man – sounds awesome, right? Not so much.

5. Catwoman: A hot Halle Berry in a black, leather suit couldn’t save this train wreck

6. Fantastic Four: An even a hotter Jessica Alba in Spandex couldn’t save this train wreck

FOR A GOOD LAUGH:

1. Superman II: The funniest movie that never meant to be

2. Batman (1966): Featuring the handiest tool in Batman’s arsenal: the Bat Shark Repellent Spray.

3. Steel: And I thought 'Kazaam' was tops

A Little De-motivation

2008-06-13T16:57:00.013-06:00

Who doesn’t love a good de-motivational poster? I’m sure Nikki won’t approve, but I’d like to share 10 of my favorites with you.

Enjoy:

Can you say Karate Kid??

2008-06-08T20:42:00.006-06:00

This weekend I had the opportunity of taking my nephew, Liam, to his Kyu Test. For those of you that don't know the lingo of Karate, this is a test for Karate Students to go through the basics of their level and then do their individual "Kata." Basically a series of Karate moves. They do this in front of their instructor and then the Instructor decides how well they did and if they should move up a belt or not.

You might be asking yourself, why didn't his parents take him? Well, they were busy gallivanting all over Europe. But every other year they have been there 100% supportive.

Well can I just say my nephew did AWESOME!! I seriously felt like I was sitting in Mr. Miyagi's Dojo and watching Daniel-son. Maybe it is because he takes after his Dad, who is a second-degree Black Belt!!
Liam did so fantastic, that instead of getting moved up one belt Purple to Blue, his instructor moved him up 2 belts, from Purple to Green & White. I was just beaming in the audience!!

Brendan's Birthday -- Moab!!

2008-05-26T13:39:00.005-06:00

Last weekend was Brendan's Birthday. I thought it would be fun to plan a camping trip down to Southern Utah for us along with some of Brendan's good friends. Now . .you know how much I love my husband, if I willingly volunteer to plan a camping trip!! :)

We headed off on Friday afternoon, we decided it would be more fun if we all headed down to Moab in the Suburban, that way we could all ride together. Brendan and I were up front. Andrea, Jason and Steve were in the back.

We got to Moab in the early evening. We set up our tents and then started the BBQ. It was so much fun. We played some games that night and told stories around the campfire.

The next day we decided to go hiking in Arches National Park. Our first hike of the day was to Delicate Arch. This is an awesome hike and an awesome sight. It was so neat to hear so many different languages on the trail of the people we were by. If you have never been to Moab, it is definately worth a trip. It is such a unique place to visit and to hike.

Here is a picture of Delicate Arch. You can get some idea of its size, that is Brendan and myself standing underneath it!!

We also decided to hike Devil's Garden, to see the largest Arch in the world, Landscape Arch. On this hike you also get to see Tunnel Arch & Pine Tree Arch. All are amazing.

Here is a picture of Landscape Arch:

That night we went out for pizza and played games. We played Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and the girls, Andrea and myself, kicked the guys trash two out of the three games.

Sunday Morning, we got up and had breakfast and cleaned up camp. On our way home we stopped at Dead Horse Point. It is such an amazing sight to see. Basically like Utah's own Grand Canyon. The picture below is of our group!

My favorite picture of the weekend, the three boys sleeping on the rocks at Moab?? Why did the three of them want a picture of them pretending to be sleeping?? Let's just say, "Boys will be Boys!!"

Life's Little Soundtrack --by Brendan

2008-05-19T21:19:00.004-06:00

How great would it be if life had its own soundtrack? Say you nail that big presentation at work and the theme from Rocky starts playing. Or, you walk into a party, and “Sexyback” by Justin Timberlake starts playing. Awesome, right?
Think about your own life’s soundtrack. If you’re stuck, you can borrow a few tracks from mine (see answers below):

1. It’s the first sunny Saturday of spring, and you’re on your way to Lowe’s. You open the sunroof and start seriously grooving to THIS SONG. You’re pretty sure the song is about drug hustling, but you can’t resist its intoxicating rhythm. You receive strange looks from fellow motorists and are brought to the abrupt realization that you are a 30-something white boy from the suburbs. So, you close your sunroof, turn up the volume and continue to groove.

2. It’s 3:53 a.m., and you’re on your way home from work (it’s Jazz Playoff time). It’s also the morning of your second anniversary, and you’re wife made you promise to, “not die.” Flying down the 1-15 at 97 miles per hour, you blast THIS SONG to keep yourself awake. As one of the coolest songs ever made, you can’t help but feel exhilarated, even though you’re half-asleep.

3. As a new addition to your iPod, THIS SONG is fast becoming one of those rare tunes you will never grow tired of listening to.

4. It’s the mid-80’s, and you’re on a field trip to the roller rink with your fifth-grade class. - Feathered hair, check. - Money for candy, check. - White T&C Surf shirt that looks rad under the black lights, check. It’s time to impress Misty Carbino and her friendship-bracelet-wearing clan. Your plan is simple: gain enough speed to jump the rink entry divider, skate up to snack bar and offer to share a 3-ft licorice rope with Misty. The time is now. THIS SONG is pumping. You’re gaining speed. You’re jumping the rink entry divider. You’re landing your jump (nice one!) You’re approaching the snack bar. You’re passing the snack bar. You’re crashing through the emergency exit door. The alarm is sounding. Ms. Applebee has sent you to a designated “time-out bench” to reflect on your reckless actions. Misty and her friends are still giggling at you. Years later, you realize simply talking to Misty proves far more effective.

5. You wish you could get THIS STUPID SONG out of your head. Try as you might, it’s still there.

6. So, your hippy-music loving little brother is in town from Portland to visit prospective colleges in Utah. What song do you play to get the maximum amount of older-brother teasing in during the 45 minute drive to Provo? You play THIS SONG. You’re pretty sure he’s still recovering from the experience.

7. You’re ashamed to admit that, through overexposure, you’ve involuntarily memorized every song from THESE TWO MUSICAL PRODUCTIONS. Thanks to your sisters for the first and your wife for the second.

8. So, what if you want to listen to a song from musical theatre without feeling like a total Nancy-Boy? You listen to THIS SONG.

9. You’ve been caught rocking out in your car many times. Most often, people simply smile and look away. Sometimes they laugh. Sometimes they point. THESE THREE SONGS have been responsible for your most recent embarrassing rock outs. Shamefully, your last encounter involved a car full of high-school girls who hit you with a triple-combo of laughing, pointing and mimicking your rock-out moves.

10. You’re heading back to Salt Lake City after a bittersweet trip to California where you visited your pseudo ex-girlfriend. She had again pleaded for an explanation of why you left Los Angeles and, ultimately, her. You had cited religious differences because you knew she wouldn’t understand the real reason (that you woke up one night with a strong “gut feeling” to move back to Utah). With the exception of a quick stop in Barstow, to pick up new sunglasses and a chocolate Frosty, you listen to THIS SONG the entire way home. You can’t believe how perfectly the lyrics fit your situation. Feeling guilty and completely sorry for yourself, you wonder if you’re crazy for making yet another life-changing leap of faith. None of this makes sense to you until almost two years later when you meet a hot, little blonde who changes everything with a pinky swear.

1. “Paper Planes” by M.I.A
2. “Extreme Ways (Bourne Ultimatum Remix)” by Moby
3. “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay
4. “Tarzan Boy” by Baltimora
5. The jingle from the Hotwire.com commercials
6. “International Harvester” by Craig Morgan
7. Music from the musical productions of Annie and Wicked
8. “One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head (from the musical Chess)
9. “Beer For My Horses” by Toby Keith and Willie Nelson, “Teenagers” by My Chemical Romance, and “Shut Up And Let Me Go” by the Ting Tings
10. “Everybody’s Changing” by Keane

My Week in Pennsylvania

2008-05-11T20:31:00.006-06:00

This week for work, I got to travel back East to Pennsylvania!! A friend from work, Kim and I flew to Philadelphia on Monday. We got there in the early afternoon and decided to head to Philadelphia's Downtown to see some of our nation's history. We had a total blast walking around and seeing all of the cities great sites.

That night for dinner, we thought we should find a very authentic Philly Cheesesteak!! So we asked a couple of guys on the street and they showed us on our walking map where we should go. After 45 minutes of walking, we ended up on this corner of 2 competing Philly Cheesesteak places. Now if any of you watch the Food Network, there is a show: Diners, Drive-In's & Dives. We LOVE that show. And it just so happens that one of the episodes we caught, was about this exact place!! I was so dang excited to experience it. We decided to go old school and go to Pat's over Geno's. Pat's is the original, as you can tell from the pictures. The sandwich was so GOOD and well worth the 45 minute walk.

After dinner, we went back to our rental car and headed west to Lancaster. This is Amish Country for those of you that don't know. It was SO PRETTY. I have been there before, back when I was a senior in High School, but I was amazed at how green and how everything was already in bloom. We did a little bit of exploring in Amish Country and had a blast.

On the way back to our flight, we decided to stop by Valley Forge. I was very impressed and very humbled to be in such a historical place.

Oh yes and we did actually work while we were out there!!

Tulip Festival 2008

2008-05-03T18:35:00.004-06:00

Last weekend, while Brendan was helping some close friends of ours move, I decided go to the Tulip Festival with my sister Stephanie and her family. The Tulip Festival is at Thanksgiving Point and this year, they planted over 250,000 tulip bulbs. The Gardens at Thanksgiving Point looked amazing.

For those outside of Utah, we haven't been having the warmest of Springs. The day we chose to venture to the Festival, it was very sunny but also very windy which made it somewhat of a cold day. But still we had a blast walking around and looking at all the scenery. And also, of course shopping. There were some booths set up for the Festival activities, so of course we had to make a stop at them!!

Here is a picture of Steph and me:

PS: GO JAZZ!!!

Celebrity Crushes according to Brendan

2008-04-21T20:37:00.003-06:00

The topic of harmless celebrity crushes recently came up in conversation. This soon led to confessions of weird celebrity crushes. Now, I’m not talking about the Jessica Albas or Brad Pitts of the world. I’m talking about the ones that make you think, “Am I normal?”

Allow me to share some examples:

Brendan’s Weird Celebrity Crushes:

- Julie McCoy from “The Love Boat”

I not sure why the 9-year-old me was drawn to this clipboard carrying twenty-something with a Ronald McDonald hairdo. Wait, I just answered my own question

- Jan from “The Office”
She’s crazy, but I just don’t care.

- Cheryl Burke from “Dancing with the Stars”
This one may not seem odd until you take into account the other popular crush possibilities on the show. Forget Julianne Hough and Edyta Sliwinska. I’ll take Cheryl every time.

- Mary Poppins
Hey, I’m as confused as you are.

Nikki’s Weird Celebrity Crushes:

- Usher
- Matt Lauer
- Edward from the Vampire Books
-and my personal favorite… Kid Rock!

Speaking of odd celebrity crushes, I’d like to call out a few celebrities who, at some point, have fooled many into thinking they are crush worthy. Here are eight of my most overrated Hollywood beauties (using the term very loosely):

8. Scarlett Johannson (o-v-e-r-a-t-e-d, clap, clap… clap, clap, clap… o-v-e-r-a-t-e-d)

7. Julia Roberts (her best role? Racing against War Admiral with Toby McGuire on her back)

6. Madonna (music: good, music video: bad)

5. Helen Hunt (leading lady roles throughout the 90’s? Give her agent a raise!)

4. Kate Blanchett (talk about a miscast for Galadriel. Was it just me, or were Frodo and Legolas both prettier?)

3. Glen Close/Meryl Streep (I can’t tell which is which, and making a distinction would require me to look at them.)

2. Jodie Foster (see Helen Hunt, but worse)

And the #1 offender… Sarah Jessica Parker! Bleeech! To quote Peter Griffin, “Well, they let Sarah Jessica Parker on the TV, and she looks like a foot.”

Do you agree/disagree with this post? Do you have a weird celebrity crush you’d like to share? If son, I’d love to hear all about it. Maybe it will help me feel normal.

Something to Blog About

2008-04-09T20:45:00.003-06:00

This week we had our monthly Family Home Evening with our great friends, April and Justin!! We have been doing this for awhile, one Monday a month we get together and have FHE. This consists of dinner, spiritual thought and an activity!! We take turns hosting every other month!

Here is a picture of Justin and Brendan working on the puzzle that we wanted to put together! They were a great team and made quite a bit of progress on it. April and I on the other hand, mainly talked!!

This is April and their new son Carson. He is three months old and so dang cute!! He is such a good baby and it is so fun to see their cute family!!!

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T21:25:00.004-06:00

Happy Easter Everyone!!

My Easter started on Saturday, a few of the girls in my family went and got pedicures. My Mom and Dad drove down from Idaho for the day, and so my Mom joined us in the feet extravaganza. Kasey and her daughter Anja were there as well. Now, Anja is 3 and LOVES getting pedicures. How funny is that. So when we were letting our toes dry, I took a picture of our feet together and then Anja looks at it and says, "You forgot to take a picture of my nails." Because yes, they did paint her nails and put flowers on each one. She is at such a fun age!!

Easter Sunday we had dinner w/ Mina and the Lords. Mina is the name we call Brendan's Grandma and the Lords are his Aunt, Uncle and Cousins. Heidi, Brendan's Aunt, is such a wonderful host and always goes out of her way to do EVERYTHING. She decorates the tables, cooks very delicious meals, entertains, etc. She is so fun to be around and is such an amazing person. I have posted a picture of Heidi and Mina. Also the other picture is of a centerpiece from one of the tables. There was a total of 3 tables, as Brendan's other cousins joined us as well.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!! Oh, and Happy Spring!!

Our Weekends

2008-03-16T21:37:00.003-06:00

This weekend Brendan and 3 of his closest friends headed up to Park City to go skiing. They started the weekend on Friday Night and went up to stay the night at the Zermatt in Midway to make it a Boys Weekend. Our friend Jayna had a hand in the interior design at the resort (Jayna--Brendan said it looked awesome!! Kudos to you!!) Then on Saturday they went skiing up at the Canyons and had a blast.

Here is a picture of them: Brendan, Steve, Jason and Kevin.

To give you a little update on my life, I have taken a new job opportunity. I have been at Zions for 6 1/2 years and was ready to move on. I loved my time at Zions and all the wonderful friends that I have made over the years, but felt like this opportunity was something that I just could not pass up. I have accepted a job with Coventry Health Care as a National Accounts Relationship Manager. I will be responsible for corporate clients and their health care needs. I start tomorrow and couldn't be more excited!!

This weekend I went to a Bridal Shower of a dear friend of mine from work, Heather. She and her wonderful Fiancée are jetting of to Hawaii for a wedding on the beach!! Allison, another close friend of mine from work, had the shower at her house and did an awesome job. The food was amazing. Allison never does anything half way!!

I have posted a picture of some of my closest friends from Zions. In order of appearance: Lorilee, Sheh, Me, Heather, Allison and Sandy. They are all so wonderful!! I am really going to miss interacting each day with them, but they are all close friends that I hope to stay in contact with.

Aloha-- Ward Luau

2008-03-11T20:53:00.003-06:00

At the end of last year, the ward that Brendan and I were in got split. We ended up in a new ward and a new building. It was kind of neat being apart of a newly established ward. We went a couple of months with not having callings. But then one week, we got called into the Bishop's Office. Brendan got called as the Priest Quorum Advisor, which he is loving and has been such a great experience for him. I got called as a "Primary Worker." My first thought and reaction was, "Well at least I didn't get called into the Nursery." Now, don't take this the wrong way, I love kids. It is just that, I really enjoy Sunday School and Relief Society.

So the next week, I was called by the Primary President to get my specific Primary calling, the telephone conversation went something like this:

Primary President: Hi Nikki, I heard you accepted the calling as a Primary Worker, well specifically we want you in the Nursery.

Nikki: DEAD Silence, more dead silence

Primary President: Is that alright?

Nikki: Sure. I guess that is fine.

While really I was thinking, are you kidding me?? Well so a couple of weeks went by and really I did like Nursery and loved the kids in my class. But I did complain to anyone that would listen to me and I just felt like, well, what do they want us NEVER to have children??

So about three weeks into my calling, I wake up to find 3 missed calls, all from the Bishop. I quickly called him back, he wanted to see me right away and for sure before Church started. I threw on some church clothes and headed out the door. My biggest fear is that because of my poor attitude towards my calling, the Bishop would be rebuking me to repentance.

Well when I got in the Bishop's Office, his first question was "So, How do you like your calling?"
And knowing for sure I couldn't lie to the Bishop, I replied, "Well, it is definitely interesting and really different from anything that I have done before." He then explained to me that there had come a need to change my calling. I was then called as the Activity Chair of our Ward!! I was so excited, I love planning parties and activities.

I felt so bad about my poor attitude towards the Nursery, that I told the Primary President that I would stay in Nursery until they found someone to replace me, which now I regret somewhat as I am still in Nursery!! :) Lesson learned on having a bad attitude!!

Our first Ward Activity was last weekend. We put on a Ward Luau. It was so much fun and such good food. One of the missionaries that is in our Stake is from Tonga, he came and did the Haka Dance for us and taught all the little boys in the ward some of his moves. We also did a Hula Hoop Contest for the Male Leadership in our ward. I have posted some pictures for your viewing pleasure!!

ALOHA!!!

CEREAL KILLERS by Brendan

2008-03-02T19:17:00.003-07:00

CEREAL KILLERS:

You’ve probably received an email that asks various cutesy questions and humorous oxy morons such as these:

- Why do you put two cents in when it’s only a penny for your thoughts?
- If humans evolved from monkey's/apes, why are they still here?
- If 4 out of 5 people suffer from diarrhea does that mean the fifth one enjoys it?

If you’re looking for more of the same, I invite you to leave. For we will be heading for deeper waters as we delve into the intricacies of the enigmatic world of children’s breakfast cereals. Now do you get the title? Clever, huh? Yeah, I though so too.

COCOA PUFFS:
Sonny the Cukoo Bird has been “Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs” since the 1960s, but only recently has he come under fire from critics. Some accuse him of having an abnormal and unhealthy addiction to the chocolaty corn puffs. Others contend his “psychotic” outbursts are harmful to young viewers. All I can say is, “give the bird a break, people.” So, he’s excited about his favorite cereal. What of it? Can’t he show a little enthusiasm? When was the last time you had that much passion for anything?

CAP’N CRUNCH:
You may think the Cap’n’s name warrants discussion. Nope. I happen to think that “Cap’n” is a perfectly reasonable name. My curiosity lies in the unique texture of his cereal. By texture, I of course, am referring to its distinctive ability to tear up the inside of your mouth. I ask you; why must something so delicious be so hazardous? Perhaps there is a secret alliance between moms and Cap’n Crunch makers to limit the consumption of this sugary wonder. We may never know. Personally, I know it’s time to put the spoon down when the roof of my mouth starts bleeding. Now, where did I put those Sour Patch kids?

FRUITY PEBBLES:
Dear Fred: Barney is your best friend, yes? Are you really going to let colored breakfast flakes ruin that friendship? Share.

Dear Barney: I realize your prehistoric brain may not be fully developed, but ask yourself this question: which would be cheaper, buying a few boxes of cereal or concocting an extravagant plan (involving a life-size Pterodactyl suit) to steal Fred’s cereal? Why do you want his cereal anyway? You’ve already got a hotter wife and a nicer boss. Leave Fred with some dignity. Leave him with his Fruity Pebbles.

SMURF BERRY CRUNCH:
Why did you leave us, Smurf Berry Crunch? I don’t care that you turned my sister’s poop blue. Just come back… soon.

LUCKY CHARMS:
I stand behind my little, Irish brother’s obsession in protecting his stuff. It’s his leprechaun nature. I just think he got the short end of the stick. I can only imagine how things started for him.

Leprechaun Headmaster: “Sprinkles, here’s your pot of gold. Twinkles, here’s your pot of gold. Dinkles, here’s your pot of gold. Lucky, ooooh, I’m afraid we’re out of gold, but here’s a box of disgusting cat food-like cereal to keep away from menacing children.”
Lucky: “Can I at least put delicious multi-shaped marshmallow bits inside?”
Leprechaun Headmaster: “I guess”
Lucky: “What about purple horseshoes?”
Leprechaun Headmaster: “Get out of here.”

HONEY COMB:
Like Sonny, the Honey Comb monster is passionate about his favorite cereal. Unlike Sonny, he is, in fact, dangerously psychotic. Where Sonny harmlessly cartwheels about, the Honey Comb monster spins uncontrollably in a frenzied rage destroying everything in his path. Is his purpose to scare little children into eating their breakfast? You won’t see it on TV, but children everywhere have been injured by the furry, little maniac. If I ever find him in my house, I’ll lock him in the closet the first chance I get.

COOKIE CRISP:
Hey, Cookie Crook. Lose the dog. His “Cooooooookie Crisp” howl gives you away every time. Did you ever think he might be in cahoots with Officer Crumb? Think about it.

FROSTED FLAKES:
My question to little league coaches everywhere, “where the H*LL are you”? Do you realize a giant man-eater is spending vast amounts of time with your children both on and off the field? Responsibility, people... look it up. I see lawsuits in your future.

KING VITAMIN:
Dear Quaker Executives,
I understand it’s tough to compete with the Luckys and Cap’ns of the world, but “King Vitamin?” That’s honestly the best you could come up with? Unless you were one of those children fortunate enough to grow with Flintstones Vitamins (a.k.a Chewy Sweetarts), the word “vitamin” conjures visions of your mother forcing horse-pills down your throat. Envision a boa constrictor midway through a water buffalo, except the taste is worse.

What about “King Krunch” or “King Puff”? The options are there. After all, lots of cheap knock-offs have been successful. If Marshmallow Maties can do it, so can you.

Sincerely,

Someone with too much time on his hands

COUNT CHOCULA:
My congratulations to the makers of Count Chocula! Not only have they created the best cereal ever (by marrying chocolaty puffs and marshmallows bites) but their mascot rocks. What could be better than a charming Vampire Count who craves nothing more than sharing his tasty cereal with friends (Franken Berry, Boo Berry and all of us). So, why can I only find Count Chocula on the supermarket shelves during the fall? Perhaps the marketers want the cereal to coincide with the Halloween season. Well, that makes perfect sense. I know I only crave delicious things 2-3 months of the year. (Note heavy sarcasm).

TRIX:
These commercials drive me crazy. In each, a determined rabbit has to try to fool kids into sharing their cereal. How greedy are these kids? Are fruity puffs such a precious commodity these days? Someone needs to tell these kids there are much cooler things in life than 28 ounces of puffed corn. Like, oh-I-don’t-know, a SIX-FOOT TALKING RABBIT!!! You can bet my children will never act that way. “Listen, kids… share your freakin’ cereal with the silly rabbit, or I’m letting the Honey Comb monster out of the closet.”

I hope you are not dumber for having read this. For a real post please see any of Nikki’s entries.

Something to Blog About . . .

2008-02-26T21:29:00.005-07:00

It has been a couple of weeks since our last post. I thought this time I would blog about the Book Club I am in. I have posted a picture of our meeting tonight. There are a couple of people missing, well actually 4! I thought I would list a couple of my favorite books from the last year of book club: Pope Joan, These is my Words, 1776, and The Fountainhead!! These books will not disappoint!!

The people in the picture are (from left to right): Emily, Camille, Me, Trina, and Kim. The people that are missing are: April (had an adorable baby in January), Jayna (had a class to go to), Jill (got caught up at work in a meeting) and another Kim(had her daughters Parent teacher conference at school!!) These girls are all wonderful!!

I really love my book club. The girls in the club are so much fun and so great to talk with. We end up talking about the book for a little while and then we move on to more interesting topics!! :)

Also, I have been suffering from Spring Fever. I am so sick of the snow and the cold, and just so anxious for Spring and warm weather!! This past Saturday my wonderful friend Allison called and asked if I wanted to go and get pedicures!! I jumped at the chance. Yes I did have them do black nail polish with hot pink flowers!! I posted a picture so you could see. Now, we know we won't be wearing open toed shoes for a little while yet, but still it gives you a taste of knowing warm weather is ahead!!

Riverdance

2008-02-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had tickets to Riverdance at Kingsbury Hall. We all love Riverdance, well except for Brendan, but that is another story. Brendan actually went to Boise to see his Brother and Sister-in-law and their cute son!! Kasey, Denver, Stephanie, Morgan, Brynlee and I went to Riverdance. Oh and my dear friend Trina!!

The exciting part of going to Riverdance for us, was to attend the program with Brynlee. She is currently taking Irish Clog Dance Lessons and we were all so excited to see her reaction!! She loved it and was enthralled the entire time. For those of you that don't know, Brynlee is Stephanie and Morgan's Daugher, she is 7.

To give you a little bit more background on my families love for Irish Clogging . . . .We have all seen Riverdance before and loved it just as much the first time as the second time. After the first time, my two older sisters and I all talked about how much fun it would be to take Irish Clog Dance Lessons. So low and behold, Stephanie found a place for us to take an Introductory Class of Irish Clog. Kasey wasn't able to take the lessons with us, because she was going to be traveling with her husband. It was just Stephanie, Brynlee and me.

I didn't think to ask too many questions about the class, so the first week we went, I started looking around and noticed that all the other people taking the class were all around Brynlee's age. And as we started to warm up, it was pretty clear that Stephanie and I were much, much older than any of the other students. The class lasted 8 weeks and we really did have a great time, even though we were commonly refered to "the big girls in the back!" It was such a blast to be in the class with Brynlee. Needless to say, Brynlee has since gone on and continued her training of Irish Clogging, Stephanie and I have not.

I have posted a picture of Brynlee and Morgan striking an Irish Pose. Morgan is a great sport and often challenges Brynlee to an "Irish Dance Off." Any of you that know Morgan know how entertaining this always is and how it leaves the audience with stomach aches from laughing so hard.

The Day has finally come . . .

2008-02-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had the awesome opportunity of attending a Wedding of some very dear friends of ours. .. .in fact, we were the ones that set them up!!

Kevin has been one of Brendan's friends forever, and I have worked with Suzie for quite a few years and she has become a great friend of mine as well. We set them up a year ago, and now they are hitched!!

We got to attend their wedding and their dinner reception. Suzie looked absolutely beautiful and Kevin was as happy as can be!! Both Kevin's Mom and Dad kept coming over to Brendan and I and thanking us again and again. And really we didn't do much, we were both just so thrilled that it all worked out!!

Here are a couple of pictures from the reception. The first one is of Allison, Suzie and me. Allison is also one of my dear friends!! We have known each other for 7 years, and I just adore her!!

And then one of Brendan and me at the dinner!!

So for the last part of this blog, Brendan wanted me to post a picture of our front door. As many of you probably know, Utah and Idaho got hit with a major snow storm early Sunday Morning. All Church meetings in our area were cancelled and we have yet to see a Snow Plow!! So we are vegging all day at home!! This has been an incredible winter for Utah. Just this week we have had 3 major storms and I guess there are more on the way!! Hopefully all of you are staying nice safe and warm in your homes!!

Bachelor Party at Casa Burke

2008-01-20T19:47:00.001-07:00

This weekend, Brendan decided to have a Bachelor's Party for his close friend Kevin, who is getting married in a couple of weeks. The four boys pictured, have been friends for almost 2 decades. Steve, Jason, Kevin and Brendan.

The party started on Friday night when they decided to go out to dinner. Then they ended back up at our house playing "Halo" until all hours of the morning. They all stayed the night, because really at that hour we didn't want them driving home.

The next day they went to a movie and played some more video games.

As tradition, Kevin received the, "Sugar Pudding, Sweeter than a Chocolate Spoon" doll. Each time one of these guys got married they received this item. So yes, Brendan and I have been the keepers of this for almost two years and I am thrilled to be passing it on!

What If -- By Brendan

2008-01-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

“What if” is one of my favorite games. It’s an easy game to play. Simply say, “what if” followed by any question you can think of. Although typically reserved for long road trips and drawn out meetings, “What if” can be played any time. Just ask Nikki who has the “privilege” of playing often, especially while she’s trying to fall asleep or read in peace.

Since no one is within earshot, and Nikki deserves a break, I’ll play a quick game of “What if” by my lonesome. Feel free to substitute your own responses where applicable.

What if… Hillary Clinton becomes our new President?

Response: We’re moving to Canada where our taxes will only be 60 percent of our annual income. Mind you, I have no qualms with a woman in the White House, just THAT one.

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What if… Mitt Romney becomes our new President?

Response: He’ll owe my dad about a million favors after single-handedly financially supporting his entire campaign. Surely, I jest. Or, do I?

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What if… Nikki hadn’t convinced me to see Juno last night?

Response: I would have missed the chance to laugh for two hours straight. I’m still laughing. If you liked Nacho Libre, Hot Rod or Blades of Glory, go see this movie. If you laughed more than once during Wild Hogs or Delta Farce, don’t waste your money. Juno is not for you.

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What if… I grew a sweet Beowulf goatee to win a bet?

Response: Hello? Done that. There is ongoing debate, however, concerning the quality of the goatee. But if you ask me, it was a flawless replication of the mighty warrior’s majestic man tresses. Please note that I have no plans to grow another goatee unless, of course, we’re revisited by the late 1990’s.

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What if… Nikki didn’t have a major crush on Tim Riggins of the show Friday Night Lights?

Response: Then I would feel a lot guiltier about my crush on Lila Garrity of the same show.

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What if… I spent an hour shoveling our driveway after a snowstorm?

Response: It would snow another 5 inches that night. (Repeat this question five, no, 10 times.)

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What if… Jake and I had been successful in our efforts to franchise an Ikea in Utah back in 2001?

Response: I’d be rich enough to buy my friends instead of trying to amuse them with silly blog entries.

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What if… I reluctantly shed a tear or two while watching The Kite Runner?

Response: See it for yourself before you judge me. Besides, I’m pretty well stocked in manly man department after growing my sweet Beowulf goatee.

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What if… Aliens came to earth and forced us to reenact the Star Wars Trilogy for their amusement?

Response: Dibs on Chewbacca! I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. The suit would get hot and sweaty and may even start to stink. But hey, when ya’ll are memorizing your lines, I’ll be in the Millennium Falcon playing Holographic Chess with my droid buddies.

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What if… Stephanie Meyer rewrites Twilight from Edward’s perspective?

Response: OhMyGosh, who cares!? (This response also applies to any Dancing With the Stars or Britney Spears references.)

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What if… the Utah Jazz were in first place in the Northwest Division?

Response: Then my beloved Trail Blazers wouldn’t be. You see my dilemma.

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What if… I weren’t LDS and had to choose another religion?

Response: There are a lot of options out there, some more attractive than others. Ultimately, I’d have to go with Oprahism. Not only does she have an immense following, but you do seem get a lot of free stuff. My only hang-up would the hourly meeting five days a week. Tough call…

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What if… you are actually still reading this?

Response: I commend you for your ability to endure through this scripted blather. Rest assured, there is more where that came from.

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Stay tuned next week for a real blog entry from my sweet wife Nikki.

Peace out.

Jerusalem Reunion and New Year's Eve

2008-01-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

10 Years ago I had the awesome opportunity of traveling to the Holy Land for a Semester Abroad. Fall of 1997, I found myself at the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies with 176 amazing people. Over this Christmas Holiday, we had a 10 year reunion for our group. I was so excited for it. It was such a fun night. What was so great about it is that everyone looked the same, just a little bit more mature.

My Semester in Jerusalem was such an amazing time. The faculty, staff and students were so much fun. I learned so much about the history and the people of the MiddleEast.

Here is a shot of all of us!

Also, a couple of my dearest and closest friends I met in Jerusalem: Brooke & Roselyn. We ended up all being roommates back at BYU and have been life long friends even though we are separated by many miles!!

On New Years Eve we headed down to Morgan and Steph's for a party. We had yummy Mexican Food and Chocolate Fondue for Dessert!! Kasey and Denver were there and also our long lost friends Brittany and Eric. We usually only see them around Holidays, so it was so fun to see them and catch up with them!! We ended up playing games until all hours of the morning, and sad but true that all the kids were still awake at that time!!

Christmas 2007

2007-12-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

This Christmas we were in Idaho with my family!! We definitely had a White Christmas as we got snowed in on Christmas Eve. It was a total white out, which I love!! The whole family made it home for Christmas so it was a good time had by all.

It was so fun to be at home and watch all the kids get so excited about Christmas. Of course on Christmas Eve, we read the Christmas Story and talked about the real reason for the Season. My Dad did a wonderful job of teaching everyone about the Savior and all the symbols that come around Christmas Time.

We were actually all shocked on Christmas morning when the kids slept in until 8:30! All the adults were awake and up before the kids, well except for Brendan.

A lot of our family traditions revolve around food, YUMMY!! Christmas Morning, we always have a Grapefruit, Crepes, and Ham. We all LOVE this meal and my Mom is such a great sport to do this for us every year!!

Also this Christmas was really wonderful because we got to welcome a new member into our family. Ian Thomas Johnson was born Nov. 12th and this is the first opportunity we all got to meet him. He is just darling and so dang cute. He is a really good baby and it was so fun to spend some time with him. Ian is the second son of Jessica (my little sister) and Steve.

Holidays -- Get Togethers w/ Family & Friends

2007-12-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

What I just love about the Holidays is the gathering of Family and Friends.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a get together in Herriman at Julie and Ben's House!! There were a ton of my dearest friends there. We had such a good time and had great food. I just adore everyone that was there and consider so blessed to have so many wonderful friends. We have definately grown in size with spouses and children, but I say the more the merrier!!

People pictured: Brendan, Nikki, Jen, Chris, Eric, Melissa Darren, Craig. Next row: Chad, Melanie, Ben, Julie, Tiffany, Nalani, & Lani

This weekend, we had dinner with Brendan's Grandma, otherwise known as Mina. She is such a darling women and we always have so much fun with her. We took this picture of her, she wanted to show off the lap blanket that Brendan and I got her for Christmas. Isn't she just so cute!!

After dinner with Mina, we went over to Todd and Anna's house. A bunch of the guys that Brendan went to Graduate School with get together every so often. We always have such a great time with these guys. We play games and talk!!

I just love the Holidays for all the get togethers. I hope all of you are having a fabulous Holiday Season and are getting to spend it with loved ones!!

People Pictured: Stanton, Becky, Burke, Brendan, Anna, Todd, Wyatt, Olivia, Brian, Heather, & Elizabeth.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2007-12-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Brendan is from the Northwest and he insists that at Christmas Time, we get a "REAL" tree. He says, "We are not getting a fake tree, because we are not having a fake Christmas."

I do have to admit, I love the smell of having a real tree in the house. And it is fun going down to a tree lot, picking out a tree, packing it up and bringing it home. It reminds me of when I was little.

I thought I would post a couple pictures of our "REAL" Christmas Tree.

I love this time of year, and hope that all of you are having a wonderful time as well!!

10 Ways to know you are in Our Ward by Brendan Burke

2007-12-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Every ward is unique. Some are more unique than others. So, if you ever find yourself in West Jordan, Utah thinking, “I wonder if I’m in Brendan and Nikki’s ward,” here’s a helpful list.

10 Ways You Know You In Our Ward:

You notice the chapel is painted a soothing mint green. Wait, it’s really more of a “pistash, pismashio, pisashio… green gravy color.” Two points for whomever just got that reference.

Your wife catches you every time you try to sneak your Sudoku puzzles into Sacrament meeting. Moreover, your wife catches you every time you try to sneak contraband in from the outside.

Sacramento meeting lasts exactly six minutes following seven (yes, seven) consecutive baby blessings. During these weeks you’ll find yourself deep within the overflow, which means every baby held up will look the exact same. Names, however, will differ, except for the three that end in “aiden.” You know, Braiden, Kaiden, Jaiden, etc.

Opening exercises provide many (I mean, MANY) opportunities to give service. Summer months have been known to boast up to eight service projects a week. Should your schedule not permit you to help lay your neighbor’s sod or put up his fence on, say, a Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m., there are several weekend service opportunities available.

You wonder why Brother X has never seemed liked you, only to find out two years later that he’s been holding a 900 year-old grudge since your ancestors ran his out of their Irish castle a century ago. Oh, and if you find yourself thinking, “YES!” inside your head as he explains it to you, make sure your face displays no outward expression of your internal satisfaction. I’ve never been so proud to be a Burke.

You notice three nurseries, two primaries and one priest. Also, you can count everyone older than 40 on one hand, even after losing your right thumb in a high school shop-class accident.

When closing your eyes for a prayer, you hear up to eight crying children. You would hear more, but science has proven that the human mind can only process eight different sounds at once. By science, of course, I mean my own weekly experiments.

Children in the congregation can be found in groups throughout the chapel. These “church play dates” typically feature a robust menu of fruit snacks, juice boxes, crackers, Teddy Grahams, Cheerios and more.

If you find you’re the only guy in the building wearing a shirt of color (black, for example) you’re probably the same guy who’s trying to sneak in the Sudoku puzzles.

And the #1 way to tell you’re in our ward… You see a fist-size toy metal helicopter fly straight past a row of people and hit a lady square in the head. As the poor lady grabs her head in pain, you notice the mother of the little culprit ask the injured lady’s husband to return the helicopter. No “I’m sorry”, no “are you all right?” She just asked for the toy. Where was the culprit’s father doing the entire time? He was busy playing games on his Palm Pilot not bothering to look up. I don’t blame him. At least his wife lets him bring his toys in church.

Thanksgiving in Portland

2007-11-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

We spent our week in Portland with Brendan's Family. We had a lot of fun and were able to see a ton of family, which was great.

We got to go to a Portland TrailBlazers game, which as many of you know is one of Brendan's absolutely favorite things to do. The game was really good and really intense!! Brendan actually got to go to 2 games while we were in Portland, which made the week for him.

Thanksgiving was great. All of the Burke Kids made it home, except for Kevin and his cute family. We were really sad that they couldn't make it and we missed them a ton.

Another tradition when with the Burke Family is the infamous Risk game between Brothers and Brothers-in-law. Or as they call themselves, Good vs. Evil. This is a really intense game that can last hours upon hours.

Another great tradition with Thanksgiving weekend is the "Holy War," the big football game of Utah vs. BYU. A bunch of us watched it, it was a pretty intense afternoon of football, but BYU did prevail and there was much cheering and celebration.

We had a great Thanksgiving. I can't believe it is already the Holidays!! I hope all of you had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday.

Another Blog Entry by Brendan -Best of Fall 2007

2007-11-11T19:34:00.001-07:00

Like Jan Brady and Lisa Simpson, Fall is often overlooked for its more high-profile siblings. Many simply think of it as the lackluster months that steal summer away and force us to wait for the holiday season. I, for one, am a fan of the middle-child season. Join me as I present Best of Fall 2007:

Hannah Montana leaves Salt Lake City:
I have nothing personal against the Disney phenom and offspring of Mullet royalty. I simply feel like repaying her the favor and walking into her work with my camera crew and hordes of assistants and bossing her around. Maybe I’m the crazy one who hasn’t fallen for Lizzy McGuire: The Next Generation. After all, she did sell out in 10 minutes, which, to my knowledge, is faster than anyone in Arena history including U2.

‘Psych’ the show:
I discovered a rerun of this gem early one Saturday morning on USA. I like to think it was destiny because, hey, why would I be up early on a Saturday morning? If you haven’t seen it, the premise of the show involves, Shawn, a highly observant young man who passes himself off as a psychic detective to help solve crimes for the Santa Barbara police. He is, or course, assisted by his best friend Guster who sluffs his day job as a pharmaceutical rep to help Shawn with his crazy cases. I strongly recommend you watch at least one episode. “When is it on,” you ask? I’m not sure, but I’ll ask my TiVo. He seems to know a lot about these kinds of things. If you’re not hooked after only one episode, accept the fact that you have a bad sense of humor, and go back to watching ‘Three and a Half Men’.

Gloria:
For those who haven’t met her, Gloria is the name of my new car. Gloria is short for “Glorious,” which is exactly how you feel when driving her. We’ve been together now for about two months, but it was love at first sight. I actually knew she was the car for me much the same way I knew Nikki right for me. She took my breath away the first time I saw her, I thought about her constantly and I still get nervous when other men get too close. Nikki, however, is less useful in teaching young punks that adding a noise-enhancing muffler and ridiculously large spoiler to your Honda Civic does not make it any faster.

Hot baths:
What can I say? Nothing beats slipping into a hot bath after a long day, especially when it’s cold outside. Yes, I am admitting that I take long, relaxing baths. I see no shame in it, especially since, contrary to accusations; there are never bubbles or candles involved. Why stand and cleanse when you can lie down and cleanse? Think about it. For those of you who have labeled bathing girly, at least I’m not volunteering to attend Josh Groban concerts or reading high-school romance novels. You know who you are...

Dan in Real Life:
Once I got over the fact that the leading lady’s face and Dane Cook’s unfuniness (not a real word, but it should be), I quite enjoyed this movie. I won’t spoil it for anyone, but ‘Dan in Real Life’ delivers warm fuzzies that can be enjoyed by the entire family. In addition, Steve Carroll proves that he’s not simply the funniest person on television today, he also a serious actor. He has to be to feign attraction for his love interest in the movie... bleech!

The Shins:
Quietly, the Shins have earned the title of my favorite band. Their rise to the top was aided in no small part by the poor showing of former favorite Rascal Flatts in their latest album. What I once dismissed as one of my little brother’s “We’re cool cause we’re different” indie bands is now the most played CD in my car. Who would have thought I would succumb to the melancholy drivel reserved primarily for high-school and college students? I know what you’re thinking, “The Shins are from Portland, and that’s why Brendan likes them.” Shame on you. Just because they too hail from the land of clean air, pure water and unrivaled beauty doesn’t mean I favor them.

Costco Chicken Bakes:
Are you a fan of delicious flavor? Affordable, portable and scrumptious, Chicken Bakes from Costco are the tastiest of the pocket foods family. Hot Pockets? Pitas? Breakfast burritos? Ha! Don’t make me laugh. So, the next time you’re buying that jug of gummy worms and Oprah book, do yourself a favor, and pick up a delicious Chicken Bake. Filled with chicken, cheese and what I refer to as “miscellaneous goodness”, you’ll enjoy every bite. It’s the best $2.99 you’ll ever spend.

Dance Dance Kid:
Lastly, I would like to pay tribute to the kid we saw flip the Dance, Dance Revolution machine at the District Movie Theatres game room in South Jordan. (See attached photos). I don’t know where he came from, but I’m sure it’s normal for the beings on his planet to hit 482 step sequences in a row. Kudos young, sweaty sir. You’re future is truly bright.

So, these are some things that make Fall great for me. I admonish you to look for the things that make this season great for you. But don’t wait, like Hannah Montana’s career and Nikki’s recent infatuation with vampires, Fall will be gone before you know it.

HALLOWEEN

2007-11-04T18:56:00.001-07:00

We just love Halloween.

I love this time of year with the changing of the seasons. It is such a fun time to be in Utah. The mountains are just beautiful with all the leaves changing and the first sign of snow.

I have posted some pictures of us from last Halloween. If you can't figure it out, Brendan was Batman and I was CatWoman. We had a couple of parties to go to and Brendan actually won a prize for Best Costume at one party. Brendan likes to change it to the "Most Awesome Award."

This year we decided to have a nice Halloween at home and wait for the trick-or-treaters, which I just love to see. We had a ton of kids this year, probably due to the nice Fall Weather we have been having lately. All the kids costumes were so cute and so fun to see. One little girl dressed up as the cutest duck I have ever seen, almost brought tears to my eyes. And I kept giving her more candy every time she would say "Trick-or-Treat!" Finally her dad had to say, "I think she has enough."

I hope everyone's Halloween was as fun as ours!! Happy November by the way!!

Witches Night and the Famous Draft Weekend

2007-10-23T21:34:00.000-06:00

This weekend were two great things. Brendan held his annual Fantasy NBA Draft. This is where Brendan, his brothers, and friends get together and pick their teams for the upcoming NBA Fantasy Season. This consists of a bunch of guys coming over to our house and spending hours on picking their players. I always try to find some where else to be during this draft. And thankfully the last 2 years, Witches Night at Gardner's Village has been during the same weekend. The only thing I know about Fantasy, is basically I know when Brendan is not doing good, because he yells at his computer. This is a picture of just a few of the guys after the main draft was over. Here they are analying the results of the draft!

Witches Night out with April:

Witches Night Out is always so fun. Yes on Saturday Salt Lake got it's first real snow fall and tons of rain. I had started getting ready, when my dear friend, April, called. I answered the phone, "Yes I know it is snowing, but we are still going, I already look like a witch." So she agreed we would still go. Here is a couple of pictures of us looking like witches. April is so dang cute, she is pregnant and due in January and just looks darling!!

Jayna and her friend Danielle met up with us at Garnder's Village. It was actually really fun this year, because due to the weather being so bad, it wasn't that crowded. So we really enjoyed ourselves. The night ended with getting dinner at Chili's and talking about everything for hours!

Girls, Girls, Girls

2007-10-14T21:11:00.000-06:00

This week, we had a Sister's Girls Night, which included, Kasey, Stephanie, Anja (Kasey's Daughter) and me. We were missing my little sister Jessica, who is 9 months pregnant and needing to stay homebound. We were also missing my Mom and my niece Brynlee.

We decided to one of those prepare meals and freeze them things. We went to
"Dream Dinners" in Sandy. Steph's neighbor actually owns it and is so nice and so fun to be around. So the four of us headed over to Dream Dinners and spent an hour or so preparing meals. It was a really good time and we had a lot of fun.

Brendan and I tried one of the meals on Friday night and again one tonight. They were both really good. And had minimal prep time and clean up time, which I enjoyed a ton!!

Also, Saturday was Brynlee's (Steph's Daughter) 7th Birthday. We headed down to Stephanie and Morgan's for a birthday party. She is at such a fun age and just loves everything. We had cake and ice cream and then of course stayed over to watch the BYU Football Game. They won, so needless to say it was a good weekend for us.

The Decepticons -- Softball Team

2007-10-09T20:10:00.000-06:00

The Decepticon Tradition lives on. 2 Years ago, Brendan started a softball team with his buddies. They called themselves "The Decepticons." Now, Brendan named the team this name before we even knew The Transformer Movie was coming out. So basically, Brendan is before his time!! Well they played 2 years ago in a league in Salt Lake and did really, really well. The season ended 11 & 1.

When Spring rolled around, they decided to join a West Jordan, Spring League. Todd, Brendan's friend, took charge of the team and moved them up to a "A" league, due to them doing so well in the "B" league. Well that league didn't go so well. They didn't win a game in the regular season, and only won their first game in the Tournament, which actually shocked everyone. They would play guys that showed up in their old College Baseball Uniforms.

This Fall, Brendan decided to take them back to the Salt Lake League, which everyone was very excited about. And it turned out well for them. They ended the season 6 & 1 and a forfeit. But this record landed them as 1st Runners Up and they took home a trophy as seen in the picture below!!

You just can't beat Utah Summer/Fall nights sitting outside watching or playing softball.

Trip to Idaho and to see Dr. Bob!!

2007-10-01T19:31:00.000-06:00

This weekend we headed to Idaho to see family and for our 6 month check up with my Dad, Dr. Bob, the Dentist. My two older sisters went as well and their families, so needless to say we dominated my Dad's office on Saturday.

There is an ongoing joke with the In-Law Boys in my family, concerning how much work they have needed on their teeth when my Dad started being their Dentist. Brendan right now holds the record as we have made numerous trips to The Idaho Falls Dental Group. I think my appointment lasted around 30 minutes, and about 3 hours later, Brendan was finally done.

We had a great time in Idaho. We saw the first snow fall of the season, watched some football, played some games, and just relaxed and enjoyed being around Family.

Here is a picture from the car on our drive home, it is on the top of Malad Pass. I just love the drive from Salt Lake to my parents house. I think it is so pretty and so relaxing.

We rushed home on Sunday, so I could unpack and re-pack. I flew to Houston today, I will be here for the week for work. It is such nice weather here, it is 85 and low humidity.

End of Summer

2007-09-25T20:41:00.001-06:00

Well this weekend marked the official end of Summer!! I am excited for it to cool down! This weekend some of the girls from my Book Club, decided to make it a girls weekend up in Park City. Friday afternoon, April, Trina, Jayna and I headed up to Park City for some great bonding time and fun.

Park City is so pretty right now. All the leaves are changing, it really is looking more and more like Fall. We shopped, went to dinner, stayed up late talking and laughing. We stayed the night up there and then took our time coming home on Saturday afternoon!

Also, to mark the end of Summer, we had a BBQ at our house. With the weather we had here in Salt Lake (c0ld and rainy) it was more like a beginning of Fall BBQ instead of end of Summer. Kasey's Family and Steph's family came over and we all had a good time with some really good food. Chris, Brendan's brother, was also here, which was a ton of fun to have him with us for the weekend.

The night ended up with everyone in Brendan's media room, or the "Laire", as he likes to call it . .. playing the Nintendo Wii. Everyone was talking turns and having a good ole time. My favorite part was watching Kasey(my sister) and Denver go at it on the boxing and tennis game. Kasey kicked Denver's butt in boxing! It was a fun time had by all

Brendan's First Blog Entry -- Boys Weekend in LA

2007-09-20T19:31:00.001-06:00

After much persuasion, I am writing my first blog entry. Here goes:

Several months ago, Jason, my brother-in-law, was visited by the Genius Fairy and decided to plan a Boyz (that’s right, “Boyz”) Weekend to Los Angeles to attend the BYU/UCLA game. I was especially excited by his idea, as it would replace our usual summer get together of Mario Kart Weekend. As some of you may know, MK64 has become dead to me over the years. Perhaps year after year of close calls, dashed hopes and the cheaply obtained lightning boxes of others finally killed my racing spirit.

As its name suggests, Boys Weekend included all Burke brothers, brothers-in-law and Dad. The only one MIA was our recent family acquisition, Bretatouille. I’m not sure why he couldn’t come. It’s not like he had any big events in his life that would prevent him from booking a plane ticket in advance. We’ll get him next year.

My trip began on the tarmac of the Salt Lake Airport where I was sandwiched between a small, dirty window and Mr. L.A. You know who I’m talking about. He’s tan, has flowy hair and stubble, wears a tight shirt and a leather bracelet that serves no useful purpose. He’s also got a pair of jeans with intricate designs on places other than the pockets (no offense, Chris). Mr. L.A.’s main accessory, however, is his brand new iPhone. Meanwhile, I was sporting my Sony Walkman (circa 1996) in order to listen to my books on tape.

I’m not normally embarrassed of my Walkman, but Mr. L.A. purposefully made me feel ashamed of my little piece of retro tech. He would pull out his iPhone every so often simply to touch the screen or polish its shiny surface, all the while giving me and my Walkman dirty looks. He even went so far as push stop on my Walkman to ask me if I had seen his copy of SkyMall, which he didn’t read after I pulled it from my seat pouch. Why had I left my iPod at home? And why can’t they make more books on tape books on CD? Annoyed to the hilt and ready to retaliate, I did the one thing that only thing I could think of and “accidentally” place my elbow on his armrest volume button blasting his ears during the in-flight show. Childish? Maybe. But I felt better.

I arrived at LAX (aka – the giant bathroom) and met Bret and Michael at the rental car agency. The agent gave us plenty of cars to choose from, and Bret chose the one he liked best, and the three of us spent the better part of an hour cruising through greater Los Angeles traffic in a tan Dodge Caravan. A very entertaining journey.

At the hotel, I learned I would be sharing a bed with Dad. Chris and David had already laid claim to the bed nearest the TV, and Kevin wouldn’t arrive until Friday night. This didn’t seem like a bad arrangement until bedtime rolled around. As Chris, David can attest, Dad’s snoring was truly, truly outrageous. Not only was his volume impressive, but his range was inhuman. I actually heard noises brand new to me, noises unlike anything I had ever heard before, and I watch a lot of Animal Planet.

After several hours of snoring induced insomnia, I decided to move away from the epicenter of the noise and made a bed for myself on the floor. I fell asleep around 4:00 am and later learned that David and Chris had managed to fall asleep by listening to their iPods, on high. Where was mine, you ask? Not funny.

With a good night’s rest, for most of us, we drove to Magic Mountain early Friday morning. For those of you who have never been the park, here are a few tips:
- Go after school has started, and you will avoid long lines
- Make friends with other BYU fans in the ticket line and get a coupon good for 50 percent off general admittance
- Do NOT visit the water ride early, or you will spend the rest of the day drying your shoes and socks (unless you’re Dad who figured out a way to dry his faster)
- Do NOT visit the water ride early two times in a row
- Avoid making any hand gestures that may be interpreted as gang signs. On a similar note, leave all bandanas and firearms at home
- Don’t bother wasting your time with any rides other than Tatsu and X (best ride ever, unless you’re a fan of tan mini vans)

Saturday morning was filled with anticipation. After stuffing ourselves at Islands Burgers, home of the Hawaiian Burger (another best ever), we walked to Rose Bowl where the BYU tailgate party was in full effect. Chris, Michael and Jason ran into friends while Dad managed to meet more relatives we had never met and promptly introduce us. We even ran into legendary BYU football coach LaVell Edward who had the honor of taking a photo with Chris and me.

I am not kidding when I say about one-fourth to one-third of those in attendance at the Rose Bowl were BYU supporters, and I’d venture to say that more than half of the stadium noise came from those fans.

To avoid stirring up bad feelings, I will not comment on the actual game except to say that it was my fault BYU lost. I foolishly purchased a new BYU T-shirt during the tailgate party and stuffed my Lucky shirt into a backpack. I didn’t realize until half-time and put Lucky back on. BYU made a strong comeback effort, but it was too late. Not even the power of Lucky could overcome the deficit. Lesson learned. To Nikki’s dismay, I herby pledge to wear Lucky to each and every BYU football game indefinitely.

Tired and morally defeated we went to pizza (where I defeated David 7-1 in a rousing game of air hockey) and headed back to the hotel. We went to church the next morning in a local Pasadena ward where I was the only person dressed in jeans. Blast my weaksauce packing skills!

The flight home was uneventful with the exception of the lady sitting next to me who wouldn’t stop telling me all about her Mormon vampire book. Yet another problem easily avoided had I had my iPod.

Thus ended our Boyz Weekend and thus ends my first blog. With the exception of the BYU loss, it was a great weekend. Time spent with brothers, brother-in-law and Dad is always a good time.

Fun Week in Utah

2007-09-16T20:06:00.000-06:00

This week, my dear friend, Krescent, came to visit us!! She is from Washington D.C. Krescent and I met each other in Grad School the first year and ended up being roommates our second year. She recently had her 3rd child, a little girl named Devyn. Devyn has got to be one of the most happy kids I have ever met. She is so darling and so fun to be around.

Of course Kres and I had to do all our old familiar traditions. We headed down to BYU for the day. It was so fun to be on Campus again! It has really changed. And then we had to eat at her favorite places, Cafe Rio and Pizza Factory. It was so fun to spend time with her and get to meet Devyn. Even though she lives on the other sides of the United States, she is one of my dearest and closest friends!!

Also on Saturday night Brendan and I went to a get-together at our friend, Kathleen's House. Kathleen and Pam are some of my all time favorite people. They are so dang funny and so much fun to be around. All the old gang from Zions were there. Rob and Allison and their new little son Tate were there. Nick and Wendy and of course, Pam, Kathleen and Kyle. We talked the night away and ate Kathleen's delicious mexican dinner!

The first picture is of Rob, Allison and their son Tate. And this is of Kathleen and Pam!!

Nikki's Weekend

2007-09-09T19:55:00.001-06:00

This weekend Brendan and I spent apart. Brendan left on Thursday to head to LA to watch the highly anticipated UCLA vs. BYU Game at the Rose Garden.

Friday morning, I met some of my dearest and closest friends for breakfast at Mimi's!! It is the first time all of us have been together in 3 years. I am on the left, and then Lindsey who moved to Phoenix 3 years ago and just recently moved back to Salt Lake, which I am thrilled with. Then next is Lisa, she moved to Vegas a couple of years ago and met a wonderful guy, Ryan, and got married in April. Then Allision . . she is 8 months pregnant with her 2nd boy. We are really excited for her to have her baby in a month or so!!

Next on the weekend agenda was a BBQ at Morgan & Stephanie's on Saturday night. The whole family was there, included Jayna!! Here is a picture of everyone deep engrossed in the BYU Game. We had a ton of fun. We always like being around Family!!

It was a great weekend but I was so excited for Brendan to come home on Sunday Night!!

True Blue Through and Through

2007-09-04T18:45:00.000-06:00

"Rise and Shout the Cougars are out, their on their way to Fame and Glory . ." Saturday was the home opener for the BYU Cougars. It was a sell out crowd at Cougar Stadium as 65,000 fans watched the Cougars take on the Arizona Wildcats.

The game was actually very anti-climatic because the Cougars were in the zone and beat the wildcats 20 to 7. It was so fun to be there and to be apart of it. The only downfall was the heat and the 100 degree sun blaring down on us.

We love the Fall, because Fall means football!! Go COUGARS!!

Grobanites & Storytelling

2007-09-04T18:35:00.000-06:00

This past week my sisters, Stephanie and Kasey, and my brother-in-law, Morgan and I went to The Josh Groban Concert at the Arena. It was SO GOOD. He is an amazing performer. When Brendan heard about the concert, he said he would help us get tickets on one condition . . .that he didn't have to attend the concert. We loved the concert!! Morgan was joking that he was out with his three wives. I posted a picture of Josh. . .as soon as he walked out there were like a million women screaming like they were 14 years old!!

On Friday, my parents came down to attend the Annual Timp Storytelling Festival. Now, we go to this every year, but this year was unique, because my adorable nephew, Liam, won a contest and was chosen as one of the Youth Tellers at this year's festival.

He did such a great job. He had all the audience laughing and getting into his story. His eyes just lit up when he walked onto that stage and as the audience got into it more, so did he. He delivered quite the performance and we were all really proud of him. I posted a picture of him in the middle of his storytelling.

It was a "Running" Weekend

2007-08-26T11:23:00.000-06:00

Well Brendan left on Thursday Night for Portland to run in the Hood To Coast Race. It is an annual race where you start at Mt. Hood and run all the way to the Oregon Coast. His whole family participates. I posted a picture of Brendan and his Brothers and Dad. But really his whole family gets involved . .sisters run, brothers-in-law run, there are volunteers, etc. Brendan loves this weekend he gets to hang out with his family and his close friend, Jake from D.C., always flys into run the race as well. It is a team race where they all take legs throughout the 2 days. Brendan says the only downfall to this weekend is the actual running.

Since Brendan was off running, I decided to run as well. My cute friend Nikki called me and said that there was a 5K in Draper to support the families of the National Guard Men and Women that had been deployed, so how could I say no to that. We woke up at the crack of dawn on Saturday and headed over to the park in Draper to get registered and get ready to run. It was really fun and totally worthwhile!! The picture is of Nikki and me and her cute son RJ who rode in a stroller the entire race and was such a good kid the whole time!!

Disneyland -- August 2007

2007-08-26T10:59:00.000-06:00

While we were in Southern California for my cousin's wedding, we decided to go to Disneyland. It was such a fun day to be there with Evan and Anja who are both just both in love with everything Disney!! (Brendan wasn't able to come due to not enough vacation days.)

We were waiting in line to see Minnie Mouse and when it got to be our turn, Evan just ran into Minnie's arms. It was the cutest thing. I totally got a tear in my eye. And then when it was our turn to see Mickey Mouse, Evan walked right up to him and gave him a kiss on the tip of the nose. Again, a tear came to my eye.

As tradition, we ate lunch at the Blue Bayou, in the Pirates ride.

It was such a fun day and being their with the kids made it totally worth it!!

Hunter Wedding in So. California

2007-08-26T10:51:00.000-06:00

My Cousin Stephen got married in Southern California. It was so much fun to see our cousins, it had been about a year since we last saw them. And it is always a good time when we all get together.

The wedding was really nice. My Uncle Dave married them, he is a judge. He looked so handsome in his robes. It was fun to be apart of all the festivities. The pictures are of my cousin and my Uncle during the ceremony.

Then there is My Dad and Mom w/ my Uncle Chuck and Aunt Sue and My Uncle Dave and Aunt Bobbi. My Dad was smiling ear to ear the whole time being with his 2 brothers.

The other picture is of Kasey, Jessica, and me at the reception.

Oregon Coast

2007-08-26T10:41:00.000-06:00

While we were in Portland for the Wedding, we decided to take a trip to the Oregon Coast. On our way we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We took a tour of the factory and learned a whole lot about cheese!! We got some yummy Cheese Curds, or as they call them up there, "Squeaky Cheese!" And also got ice cream and then headed back out on the road through the Tillamook National Forest.

We stopped at Cannon Beach, see picture. This is where the ending of the movie "Goonies" was filmed. Remember when the kids get rescued and the Pirate Ship comes out. Hopefully you all remember that great scene!

We then went down to Seaside and walked around the town and then went out to the beach. We watched a lot of skin surfers and just really enjoyed the day. The Oregon Coast is really a pretty place to visit.

Katie's Wedding

2007-08-26T10:26:00.001-06:00

Katie got married in August in the Portland Temple. It was a beautiful day at the temple and everything went great. Katie and Brett seemed so happy and it was so fun to be apart of their big day.

The only thing that went wrong the whole day was that the Wedding Cake Lady thought the reception was on Saturday night and not on Friday night. So while the cake lady was frantically trying to put the cake together, Brendan and Bret (a brother-in-law) tried to save the day by going out and getting white sheet cake to fill in. Well Brendan thought he would be funny by bringing back this Green Alligator CupCake Cake . .everyone had a good laugh. But then finally the cake arrived and the day was saved.

We had a great time with the Burke Family.

Maui -- July 2007

2007-08-26T10:08:00.001-06:00

I got the opportunity to go to Hawaii with my Parents, Kasey, Denver & Anja. Now you all might be wondering where Brendan was . . .well you see I get 4 weeks of vacation at work and Brendan only gets 2 . . so I figured I had to go someplace without him and why not Hawaii with my family.

We went to Maui over July 4th. It was so beautiful and so relaxing. We went to the beach every morning . .where Anja loved to build sand castles and run away from the waves. She became quite the beach bumb! In the afternoons we would go explore the Island.

The pictures our of us at the Iao Needle, the Banyan Tree in Lahaina, and then of course of a Maui Sunset . . ALOHA!!

Jackson Hole Pictures -- Cont.

2007-08-26T09:33:00.000-06:00

Here are the rest of the pictures from Jackson.

Jackson Hole --Hunter Family Trip June 2007

2007-08-26T09:10:00.000-06:00

I thought I would take a second to catch up on our Summer. Our Summer started out in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places to visit. We went there with my family for a few days of site seeing and relaxing. We got to see a ton of animals.

On our hike by Jenny Lake, we actually ran into a Mama and Baby Bear on the trail. (See picture) It was quite a site to see. There are also a couple pictures of us . .one at Inspiration Point and the other at Hidden Falls.

Also the picture of the Tetons was our view from the Jackson Lake Lodge. We had a panoramic view of the Mountains from our cabins. It was an amazing site.

I love this picture of my nephew, we were at Bubba's for lunch, which if you are ever in the Jackson area, stop there. There food is YUMMY!! Anyway, I asked Evan to show me his Peek-a-boo face . . and this is what I got!!

Our favorite story from our trip was about the squirrel. The morning we were packing up and heading back to my parents house . .I was in the bathroom getting ready and all of a sudden I hear Brendan say, "Nikki come here quick." So I walk out to where the main room was and there was a Squirrel. He had come in our door (which was wide open because all the kids were running in and out of all the cabins) so he had come in our door and over the chair and got into this candy bar sack that was on the table. He scuffled around there for a little bit and finally pulled out a snickers candy bar and then ran out of the cabin and under the tree, where Brendan took this picture!! We thought it was great. I guess Squirrels really do prefer Nuts!!