Happy Anniversary!!

Today is the 19th anniversary my wedding with Kristin. At this particular anniversary, she is in Idaho Falls helping her mother paint some rooms in their home. I think this is the first anniversary we have spent apart. I know that Kristin and I have talked before as the years have past, that we marvel how the time has gone by so quickly. There are times when it seems to have dragged on, but I know for the vast majority of the time, is has been such a pleasure to have Kristin by my side through this adventure we call life.

As I have posted before, I know that I would be an empty shell of a man without her. I know that we are trying our best to do what the Lord wants us to do; whether that is regarding my job or the finances or how we raise and discipline our children. We have always sought for the will of the Lord. I know this has helped stabilize us during the stormy parts and has been a source of strength for me.

Kristin is my partner, not my servant and I have found comfort in that as we go along in this world. I try to support the things she wants to do and put her needs before my own. I think we make a good team!

Kristin, thanks for all the years to date - I hope that we continue to go for at least 19 more in this life. I look forward to all eternity with you!

Changing Wards

Things are changing in Star. Last night we had a redistricting meeting at the Stake Center in preparation for our Stake Conference which occurs in two weeks. We have known for about a month that there are changes in the works - rumors have been wild with reports of a new Ward in Star among other possibilities. We know for sure that there will be a new Stake created at the conference, but other than that, it was all speculation until last night.

Here is some background: We knew that our Ward (Star Second) was the largest in the Stake. We also knew that we had one of the largest Young Women's programs (40 or so girls), one of the largest Young Men's programs (30 or so boys) and the largest Primary (about 164 kids - 70 or so between 0 and 18 months old). My prediction was that Star Second was going to be plundered by the adjaent Wards to help increase their numbers and that we would be lucky to remain in the Star Second Ward when the dust settled.

Kristin tried to nail down the Bishop, but he is apparently exceedingly skilled at evasive techniques when cornered. Needless to say, he didn't give us any useful information one way or the other. I took that to be a bad sign.

My suspicions were confirmed at the redistricting meeting, but the plundering wasn't as severe as I thought it might be. However, our house fell in the area of the map where the boundary was changing, so we are leaving the Star Second Ward for the Beacon Light Ward. The changes are effective on August 8th, so we have one last meeting with the Star Second folks. We will be given an automatic release from all our callings on that day (with a "please make sure you return the meetinghouse keys!"). I think this is the first time that we have moved Wards without moving from our house.

We probably know about 40% of our "new" Ward right now - we all used to be in the same group not too long ago. There have been new move-ins naturally, but there still should be a good number of familiar faces when we start attending at the new time.

I was surprised after the redistricting meeting about the reaction of some of the Star Second folks. I almost thought that we were moving to Europe instead of switching meeting times (we are staying in the same building). Lots of people were nearly crying over the news. I had no idea that my family was so beloved! Well I guess I knew everyone LOVES Kristin and her lessons (I just got used to the fact that I was the husband of the BEST teacher ever). And the kids are naturally wonderful, but I never really gave much thought to the fact that people would miss me. I will admit that I try my best to do whatever my calling happens to be, but I never think that what I am doing is anything special - in my mind I'm just doing what needs to be done.

I am sad to leave my Scouts. I love working with those boys and helping them have a great experience like I had. I put a lot of time into them and hope that much good comes from them. I don't know what the future brings for my new Ward and that is somewhat unsettling. I just know that whatever comes I will have another opportunity to learn and grow and help people with my skills. Kristin and I are speculating on what our new callings will be. I have no idea really, there are too many possibilities. I do know that it won't be Bishop, because they just put a new one in the Beacon Light Ward yesterday.

4 Kids, 1 Parent!

On Thursday last week, we put Kristin on a plane for a visit with her sister in San Antonio, Texas. That was not so bad - there were logistical considerations for getting her to the airport and all that, but nothing too mind-bending.

Well now I am about halfway through the experience and I want my partner back!! I'm not saying that I know what it feels like to be a mom (because I don't and never will), but I am saying that I miss the reassurance that comes with knowing she is at home and is in control of that environment. Since I am the only responsible adult at home now, I have felt the burden of gathering all the "kid data" and making sure that all the needs are met. Before I would just go to work and not worry about what was happening at home. If Kristin needed something, she would call or text me and we would discuss it and make plans to resolve it. Now I still go to work, but I have in the back of my mind concerns over what is going on at the house. I send text messages to Tyler and Erin to probe the conditions - "How is everything?" And I get the response back "Good." or "K." I find that I have to take breaks throughout the day and get these updates, just to put my mind at ease. I know that all you mothers are saying "Welcome to my world!" right about now. I like to think that I have everything under control, but I know it is just a facade that fits.

We have had a couple family meetings since Kristin left, just so I can make sure I know what is happening the next day. Today is kind of a crazy example, but I use it to illustrate my point.

Jason - had to be up at 4:45 am to be able to shower and have breakfast before his high adventure camp, which he needed to meet at the church at 6:00 for. We had to make sure he had all his gear (packs, sleeping bags, bike, equipment, etc.) so that he could have a good experience. He will be gone until Friday night. Then on Saturday he as volunteered to be a race official at the Red Robin Yumm Run in Boise.

Erin - had to be up at 7:30 am in order to be ready for her job at Meridian Elementary School. I was responsible for dropping her off for her 8:45 start time. Then after she was done there, she had a 12:00 appointment to babysit for one of the neighbors for a couple of hours. She told me that she folded clothes and did the dishes for them too... Where do I sign up for that service? She told me that if I paid enough money, she would do it for us too. I thought to myself - what is this thing called allowance money for, then?! She is then going to be hanging out with a friend who is leaving for a family trip to Alaska tomorrow. Whew!

Tyler - had to watch Conner while Erin was at work. As the Patrol Leader for his scout group, he had to call the boys and remind them of our special meeting time tomorrow and make sure they have all the gear they need (we are going swimming at the Y, which is difficult if you have not money or towel). Then after dinner, I am taking Tyler to the Y so he can learn and practice some swimming skills. He is not a strong swimmer, but has to have some rudimentary skills in order to advance to Second Class and First Class ranks.

Conner - well he just had to be Conner and do his chores so he can watch a Looney Tunes on the DVR, or play on the computer.

Just trying to keep up is a job in itself! No wonder Kristin tells me many, many times that she spends the day in the car, running to this or that. I think I like my sheltered life at work, not having to bear the full brunt of the kids and all that goes on at home. Kristin, I love you and will be very glad to have you back. I hope you have had a relaxing time away from our kids and have your batteries recharged, because you are needed and missed here at home!

Tyler's Scout Camp

As I mentioned in my previous post, Tyler and I set out on our adventure to his first Scout camp on July 4th.

This year, our camp was at Camp Bradley, near Stanley, Idaho. It was the second consecutive year our troop attended this camp, and the first time for me and Tyler.

Our group had 13 boys (ranging in age from Tyler's 11 years old to Halston's 16 years old) and two leaders (me and Shawn Boer). This was the first time that I had spent an entire week at a Scout camp since I was a young Boy Scout myself.

The setting for the camp is beautiful as you can plainly see from the photos. The snow-capped mountain is called Cape Horn. The other is of the dining hall and shows all the lodge pole pine trees that dominate the camp. Unfortunately, the pine bark beetle has decimated the trees here at camp too, just like it seems it has in Yellowstone Park and other areas in Wyoming and Idaho. One of the camp commissioners told me that they are trying to introduce a bunch of Ponderosa pine trees in and around the camp as they de-forest the dead lodge poles. I think that is a great idea, but it will only be truly enjoyed by the future generations simply because the seedlings start so small.

At the camp, since we had an odd number of boys, I ended up being Tyler's buddy. I was hoping that one of the other boys would be his buddy just because I was worried that he wouldn't fit in what with being the youngest one there. This fear proved to be unjustified because there were a number of boys who showed a genuine interest in Tyler (namely Anthony, Robert and Ewan). I think he was a little nervous about being there and not really knowing what to do, s0 I tried to stand back and let him make the choices about what to do and when.
When the week was over, I was hoping that he would come away with at least 6 merit badges. Well Tyler worked really hard and earned 11 badges! He was able to complete Environmental Science, First Aid and Emergency Preparedness badges, all of which are required for Eagle Scout rank. Additionally, he earned Fingerprinting, Leatherwork, Woodcarving, Mammal Study, Nature, Fish and Wildlife Management, Soil and Water Conservation and Plant Science merit badges. I was so proud of how he just got busy and sat through the lectures and activities that each badge required. He didn't especially like the Environmental Science or Plant Science badges as they required quite a bit of "homework" to complete them at camp. Tyler seemed to have a great time participating in the experiences of Scout camp. I was priveledged to be with him for the week. It was fun for me to see him grow up right before my eyes. I know that he will do well as he starts middle school this fall. Hopefully his experiences with Scout Camp have given him some confidence that he can use to springboard himself into all the new things he will be doing througout the remainder of his life.

Independence Day

This year we had our Independence Day celebration on Sunday the 3rd. Since it is my traditional rite to light off the fireworks and Tyler and I were going to be at Scout camp on the 4th, we made the decision to celebrate early.

We don't usually go over the top with our fireworks display. In fact, this is a subject that really rankles me. It is mostly due to the fact that in Idaho, fireworks that launch flaming balls (like roman candles and bottle rockets) are illegal. That does not stop the retailers from selling them - oh quite to the contrary! They try to cover themselves legally by forcing you to sign a waiver that says you will take the fireworks across the state lines before you set them off... This is coupled with the obvious "turn-a-blind-eye" attitude on the part of law enforcement here in Star; but when you can sit in your backyard and see a better display from the next subdivision than you can from the City of Boise, there is something wrong with the system. I guess that it will take an unfortunate accident where someone gets killed or burns down their house before the laws will really be enforced...

OK, I am down from my soapbox now - as I was saying that our displays are really tame - we do some smoke bombs, some snap its and then some of the rolling tanks. The best part is that the kids just love our simple tradition, especially the tanks. We always have them duel each other and it is fun to see them light each other up. We used to do sparklers too, but I guess our kids grew out of them... Oh well, it leaves more money to buy tanks with.

While I love the fireworks and parades that accompany the 4th of July celebrations, I am a passionate patriot when it comes to our country and the freedoms that we enjoy. I want to publicly thank all those who serve and have served our country in the armed forces. Without their dedication, our country would not be what it is today. The saying is absolutely true that "freedom is not free." I salute those who gave their lives to defend the ideals of this Republican society. I always become emotional during the verse of "America the Beautiful" that talks about "...heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved..." I have never been in the military myself, but both of my grandfathers served in World War II. Both of Kristin's grandfathers also served in that war, and her dad was in the Army reserve. Now in the family we have Jeff who is a veteran of the Navy and Preston and Jake are currently in the Army. THANK YOU for your service! It is so simple to say, but seems so inadequate to express the depth of my gratitude; I don't know how else to say it any more eloquently - so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

More Camping!

Today the Mackay household was filled with bustling and rushing - to get things packed and ready to go! There are two more kid camps coming up - girl's camp this week and Scout camp next week.

Once we got home from church Erin was dabbling around with this and that, then all of a sudden it seemed like a switch was thrown in her head that indicated she better get a move on because she leaves for camp tomorrow morning! From then on it was "Where's this?" and "I need that!" and "I must have this mended before I can leave!" among other things. I helped her make up a tin foil dinner for her first night's meal while she made a sack lunch. How we ever got everything lined up to fulfil all the must-have's I'll never know. But she is set and ready to go for Monday morning. Then we pick her up on Thursday night later this week.

Tyler on the other hand goes to Scout camp for the first time this year. He has a pack check on Wednesday to make sure that the gear they are taking is appropriate for the camp. We had to find him a backpack, but then he pretty much took it from there. Granted he still has time before they leave (Monday the 4th of July at 6:30 am), but I was amazed at the diversity between the two as they prepared. I'm not saying I love Tyler any more than I love Erin, because I don't - but I will say that her packing style makes me tired. I think I need another nap to recover.

A Camping We Will Go

Whew! What a weekend we had, filled with camping and more camping! It was quite a time. On Friday, Conner had his first Day Camp experience. It was held at Lake Lowell's Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge in Nampa, Idaho. The theme was the Wild West, so the boys had activities geared around cowboys. The day was great - not too hot and not too much chaos. I was one of 6 leaders for our group of 30 boys.

I was glad to be there with Conner as he participated with the other boys going about the activites of the day. There were 14 boys from our pack in my group. We had some Wolf, some Bear and some Webelos Scouts, so it truly was a mixed bag. Conner really didn't like the football part of it, but I think he rather enjoyed the crafts and the BB gun shooting. The picture shows him holding the ends of the rope making machine. The boys got to keep a bit of the rope that they made. It was pretty neat.

At another station, they boys got to run the Pony Express mail route. This next picture shows Conner dressed in the vest with the mailbag and the stick horse.

We left the cub day camp early so that we could be on our way to the father and sons camp. Don't ask me how they came to be scheduled on the same day! That really makes for some worn nerves, too. I mean after spending the day with 14 boys ages 8, 9 or 10 you get to spend the evening with 100 boys of all ages! I was beat and went to be early. The father and sons camp was at Herrick Reservior near Cascade, Idaho (about 75 miles away). Great setting and not too many bugs yet.

Dylan Boer (one of my former Scouts who just turned 12 a few months ago) was giving rides in their side-by-side ATV. I don't know if you can really tell in the picture, but Conner is grinning from ear to ear! He had so much fun and it was great to see that Dylan was so responsible too. I like to think that I had a small part to play in that, what with being his Scout leader for two years and all. Maybe he was actually listening to what I was trying to teach to those boys all those weeks. Who knows? I will keep doing it because I want them to have a good (even GREAT!) experience in Scouting beacuse I remember what a fantastic time I had as a youth in Scouts, so hopefully these boys are having a great time too.

After breakfast we packed up and came home. Then I took a nap to recover.

School is for the Birds

With only 2.5 days left in the school year, the kids have had enough already. I know that they are tired of school and things seem to be somewhat more tense around the house as Jason and Erin are studying for their EOC exams. I found out last year what EOC stands for: End of Course. That kind of lead me to reflect on why is it that we need to have so many acronyms these days? I mean why must it be called EOC, when "final" is so much simpler? Is there anything wrong with simple? I had final exams when I was kid, but I digress...

Saturday when Jason was mowing the lawn, he told me that he got the crap scared out of him by a bird flying out of our maple tree. He looked a little closer at the tree and noticed a nest built in the crook of a few branches. It must have been the mother bird vacating the nest that had startled him, he said. When he took me out to see the nest, I saw the mother bird in it - she is a robin. Kristin and I had noticed this year that there always seemed to be one or two robins in the backyard - way more than normal, now this explained it. They were making their nest and hunting for food.

Later when the mother was gone doing something, I grabbed the ladder from the garage and got up high enough to snap this picture. The kids did not believe me when I told them that robin eggs are light blue. But now we have the evidence; you can clearly see the 4 little eggs in the nest. I don't know how long they take to incubate, but I imagine that in a few weeks we will be hearing the little chirpings of the babies when they are hungry and begging for food.

Growing Anxiety

So the Mackay family on all levels is experiencing some growing anxiety. Well anxiety is not the right word, more like eagerness or excitement almost. We have been enduring a cooler and wetter than normal spring this year, but the past few days have been mostly sunny and in the 70's - much more like normal. I think this has caused the kids especially to be longing for school to be out. Their last day is June 8th, so it is still a couple weeks away. So the kids are not all that excited that the weather is getting nice and they have to go to school and keep studying.

I think that Erin especially is having a hard time dealing with this. She is at the edge of moving on to high school, and I think that the teachers are helping them get prepared by giving them finals and all that. Jason is just done with school and wants to be done. Tomorrow they have the yearbook distribution and usually they let the kids have a signing party in the football field. There is a 70% chance of rain in the forecast, and in that event the signing party will be moved to the gym. According to Jason, the gym is too small to accomodate the crowd. He is hoping for no rain tomorrow. Tyler and Conner are still having fun at school, but I know that they are eager for it to be finished for the year too.

Kristin has her growing anxiety because of her knee. For the past four weeks she has pretty much been bed-ridden. She cannot put any weight on the knee yet and simply despises using the crutches. She is getting tired of watching TV all the time, can you imagine that? I guess I understand that there are only so many re-runs and DVR shows to watch, heck even SportsCenter repeats itself every hour! I will be glad to see her on her feet more, just because I think she will be happier and not so frustrated with sitting on the bed all day with nothing really to do...

As for me, my anxiety has mostly passed. Today I played the organ for all 3 hymns for the first time. The hymns were "Do What is Right," "There is a Green Hill Far Away," and "Choose the Right." I was really nervous for the Sacrament hymn. I especially wanted to have it be a good setting for the Sacrament. I didn't want to detract from the ordinance, and wanted to do well. I made a few mistakes, but hopefully none that distracted from the mood. Overall, I got several compliments on my playing, so I must have been mostly successful in my goal. Our ward chorister texted Kristin after Sacrament meeting was over (we have Sacrament meeting first) and she told Kristin that I was "born to play the organ." I will admit that I have a lot of fun playing and hopefully that can be seen by the congregation too. My sincere desire is that I can hopefully add to the spirit of the meeting and help other people feel God's love for them through the music.

Hopefully next time will be a more lively post, but for now I will sign off.

Campouts & Callings

In our ward, I am the Assistant Scoutmaster with specific responsibility for the "new" 11-year old Scouts. I don't like that in LDS units, this is a no-man's land for scouting... but that is a subject for another post. One of the numerous regulations on the New Scout program is that they are only allowed 3 campouts per year. This past weekend, I took the boys (with additional leaders, of course) on a camp to Garden Valley, Idaho. At this particular site, there is a spring of hot water that emerges from the earth that someone in the past tried to collect into a pool. I tried to explain this to the boys, but it was clear that they were thinking swimming pool, not wading pool. The spring runs into a "pool" about the shape of a queen size bed. It hits me at mid calf for depth, so if you want it to cover you, one must pretty much lie down in the pool - which naturally means that no-one else can enjoy it with you. With that reference point, it was pretty entertaining to see that some of the boys had brought swim goggles with them - like they were actually planning on enough water to float in...

Overall the camp experience went fine. We had good meals; no one forgot to bring their share of the food. We just didn't have great execution on how we were going to cook the food and then clean it up afterwards. No one remembered to bring water, so it was difficult to make hot chocolate, but you only really needed it in the morning when it was cold outside. There was frost all over the tent, so I imagine it got down to 25 degrees or so that night. I was pretty cold, so I didn't sleep so well, but I don't usually sleep well when I am away from Kristin.

There were a few minor injuries, mostly as a result of trying to close the pocketknife and getting a finger in the way. But there was one tent of 4 boys who thought it would be more fun to stay up laughing and carrying on until 3:30 a.m. while everyone else was trying to sleep. We had them run up and down the mountain for good measure. It was a pretty steep mountian and somewhat treacherous footing coming down at high speed. One of the boys biffed it but executed a perfect front shoulder roll and landed on his feet and never broke stride! One other boy biffed it hard and it looked like he was going to snap his neck. He ended up with pinecone scratches all over his back and sides - and a large headache - but otherwise not too much worse for the wear.

Then on Sunday, the event that Kristin had been warning me about actually occurred! While I was playing the prelude music on the organ, the First Counselor came up next to me and asked me if I would accept a calling as a ward organist. I told him "I am not giving up Scouts!" and he said that they would like me to continue in Scouts and supplement with the organ playing. Our ward has 4 organists now, so playing once a month should be do-able for me. I can have time to practice for 4 weeks - so that should be OK.

Spiritual Feasting

After having viewed all the sessions of General Conference this weekend, I can say that my spirit is full. I enjoyed the sermons - although I could not pick a favorite. I can tell you that I need to re-read Doctrine and Coveants Sections 20, 88, 121 and 134. I also have the increased desire to do my duty, be a better husband and father and make sure that I am truly penitent to fully leverage the Savior's atonement in my behalf. I know that is why we have Conference; everyone gets something different out of it. Since we are all at different stations in our lives and have different growth rates, Heaveny Father does not expect the same messages to affect everyone in the same way. I know I took from the sermons the things that will help me to be a better Christian in my life right now. If you ask Kristin, she will tell you a whole different set of things that she was impressed by.

General Conference for me growing up was not as strictly enforced as Kristin and I have tried to make it. I remember that my parents only "made" us watch the Sunday morning session, and when I was old enough to recieve the Priesthood, I attended all the Priesthood sessions with Dad as well. Kristin and I have implemented the policy that until you are 12 years old, you only have to sit and listen when the Prophet speaks. After 12 years old, you must sit and listen to all the sessions. We have tried to help out with having activites like Conference Bingo to help keep our attention focused; and we have tried to make it fun by having "Conference Candy" as a special treat. Conner was up at 3:00 in the morning on Saturday; we think mostly because he was so excited about conference candy. I told Kristin that its pretty strange that he is more exicted about conference candy than Easter candy. She laughed and suggested that maybe it's because we don't give the kids very much candy on Easter. We focus more on the Savior and His resurrection than on giving the kids candy, eggs and gifts.

Ok now changing gears - we have our traditional final four championship meal coming up tomorrow night. We always get a bucket of KFC for the championship basketball game. No-one in our family picked either of the teams playing in this game, but I think the consensus is that we want Bulter to win it all. In any case it should be an exciting game and that is what makes the tournament so much fun.

Had Enough Yet?

Here we are at the end of March already! This month seems to have flown by... Maybe its the wind. There certainly have been many more "lion" days than "lamb" days so far. There are still a few days left in the month, hopefully they become more lamb-like. I could use a little bit more sunshine outside. The crocuses are doing great - I don't think we have ever had so many before. The daffodils are starting to show their bloom pods, but have not yet blossomed. The tulips are still growing their leaves, so they are a while off yet. I love to see our Dutch bulbs flower in the spring, they are so beautiful and bring joy to my heart.

Here's another thing to bring joy; I won our family bracket! I know that there is still one more weekend for the tournament, but after the upset wins this past weekend, no one in the family can score anymore points. I had Ohio State, San Diego State, Notre Dame and Duke in the final four. I actually scored 36 points, Kristin had 35, Tyler had 35 and Jason had 30. If Kristin had gone with her gut, she would have scored 37 points. For me to win is a pretty rare occurance, so I will enjoy it until I get thumped next year.

And the Winner is...

Its pinewood derby time yet again. I remember my own experiences with this fabled Cub Scout tradition... I have good memories of Dad helping me cut out the shape, sand it down, get the weights added in, then turn the wheels and get the axles all coated with graphite. My car won a few races my first year, but after that - I don't remember many victories from my corner...

Fast forward now to Jason: we made 3 cars for him and I think he won a total of 1 race. Now fast forward more to Tyler: we made 3 cars for him and he won zero (yes, that's right none).

Conner had his first race last week. I am pleased to report that I am not favoring my youngest son - he won zero races, so he is off to our typical start. Each of these boys was the best sportsman. Most of the time, they really didn't care if the car didn't win, they just had fun with the electricity of the derby event. They were happy to race and participate. I on the other hand am pretty upset that I can't seem to get this pinewood derby thing down. I don't expect to create the car that wins the whole enchilada - I would be satisfied with just one win... Two years ago as we were making Tyler's second car, we were talking with Kristin's brother Travis who had just had both of his boys use a neat design. His cars ended up taking first and second at the derby. Tyler had high hopes. We crashed miserably with the same design that Travis took home the trophies with! I am convinced it is the Mackay Pinewood Derby Curse. It seems that nothing I do or try with respect to these little wood cars makes any difference, I still make a cellar-dweller. Don't get me wrong - the cars look really cool and the boys are so excited to see them match up against the other cars. They just don't go down the track for beans. I have done some research into the concept of designing the car. From all I have read, there is little impact to the shape of the car, the whole thing is that it needs to weigh in at the limit. I have really put forth the effort I thought these cars needed, but obviously I need to take some remedial coursework. If anyone has any thoughts on the matter, I would be happy to hear about it. Here is Conner at the derby last week. He is so happy and excited to be participating. And here is his car. He got the "Golden Speed" award for his car. It looks neat and we had a good time building it, but when the races came down, he got to run it twice and lost both times. They weren't even close races. We got toasted.

Well now we come to the reason why we stay around the TV all weekend in mid-March every year: it's NCAA tournament time!! We all had our brackets set (except Erin - she says she doesn't see the appeal). Then Thursday comes and the games begin. Kristin is so funny with her bracket. Some years she really obsesses and tries to scrutinize every game. Lately she has tried to go with her "gut" but she still ends up making multiple brackets. This year she has two entries, the official and the gut. After the first weekend, the gut bracket has two more correct picks on it than the other one... I keep telling her to just go with her gut. Jason usually makes out his bracket based on the mascots or school colors - it is all about if a spartan or musketeer is more ferocious than a buckeye or hoosier. I'm not sure how Tyler picks his teams, and Conner just takes the prompts from Kristin for right now. My method is pretty unscientific. I just try to figure out which one I think will win, but I admit that I am biased towards teams that I am a little familiar with. That means that west coast teams usually get the nod if I don't really know much about either one.

We give one point for each game picked correctly. After the first weekend, our ratings are: Tyler: 34 points, Scott: 34 points, Kristin: 32 points, Jason: 30 points. Some of the upsets have taken their toll on our brackets. Already Jason and Tyler have two of their final 4 teams out. Krisin and I both have 1 of the final four gone. It is so maddening and yet so exciting all at the same time. These games are by far the best in sports. Professional players in the NBA are all just a bunch of well paid loafers compared with the college players. The hustle, the passion, the excecution are all so much better, nothing compares!

Spring is in the Air!

The old saying that "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb" is especially true this year. We seem to have had more rain/snow mix precipitation than I can remember in recent years. We even had one event called "thundersnow" by the local weatherman. It was a snow storm, but had the temperature been above freezing, it would have been a thunderstorm. I was quite astonished to see lightning and hear thunder while the snow was falling. The weather does not seem to have dampered our spring bulbs, however. The crocuses are blooming and the daffodils and tulips are sending up their green shoots - poking sprouting foliage through the earth. Kristin says she always knows it is springtime when she sees little newborn lambs frolicking in a field. There is a rancher down the street from us that raises sheep, and this year the crop of lambs has been bountiful. I do agree wholeheartedly that they sure are cute as they run up and down the fields. Since I don't have a picture, you will have to take my word for it! Kristin also says that spring is here because it's March Madness time! We are eagerly awaiting the tournament selections to see which teams will compete in the NCAA tournament. Most everyone around here knows that March Madness is a holiday in the Mackay home! We'll see who's bracket turns out the best this year!

A New Tradition?

Last week Tyler came to Kristin and asked if he could make cupcakes. She was surprised, but agreed to let him do it. I'm sure she was dreading it because usually these things are more of "I want cupcakes, but you will have to make them for me" type of situation. I know she was quite surprised when Tyler was able to do most of the work himself. Tyler needed some help to separate the egg white from the yolk, but other than that he was able to read the recipe and follow the instructions. This week Tyler wanted to make more cupcakes and I told him to go for it. He asked me if he could add chocolate chips to the batter in order to have chocolate chocolate chip cupcakes. I told him we would do it. This time he only needed me to help stir up the lumpy batter. He did everything else by himself. He had to cook them a little longer than the recipe called for, but that didn't even faze him much. He stuck the toothpicks in to check on them and when they came out with uncooked batter, he just asked how much more time we should cook them. I am very amazed that he is so comfortable doing all these things by himself. He is becoming so independent that I have mixed feelings about seeing him grow up. He seems so confident in trying these new things. I know he has had the example of seeing Jason and Erin do most of these things before, but I am glad to see him trying them for himself. The picture is after we have snacked on most of the cupcakes, but he is sure proud of his accomplishment!

Friday last week, my new company sponsored a PPW (Preferred Place to Work) event in which they invited all the employees and their families to attend a hockey game. The Idaho Steelheads are the local semi-pro hockey club. The kids had never been to a hockey game before, so they were a little hesitant about it, I think mostly because they didn't think it would be "cool' enough. I am happy to report that they had a great time! Even Conner was getting into it at the end. He is one that doesn't much care for the loud noises and unexpected sounds. But towards the end of the game, he was dancing in his seat and smiling and having a great experience. The office rented three suites in order to accomodate all the people who were in attendance. I think it was a great time and hope that these events continue to be in the future of our family.

New and Exciting!

This week we started to attend our meetings in a brand new building. This is the second ward meetinghouse in Star. I am rather fond of it because while I was working for my previous employer, I designed the plumbing and HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) systems. I am the engineer of record for this design and I got to take several tours of the building while it was under construction. I have always wanted to know what goes on inside the guts of a church building, and now I have a little more understanding than I did before. I think the construction went very smoothly; I had very few questions to answer from the contractors. That means either one of two things - my design was exceptionally clear and easy to interpret from the design documents; or the contractor didn't really care what I showed on the drawings and did it the way he wanted to. I tend to think it is the latter, since I observed the construction progress and the contractor pretty much installed it the way it was drawn.

It is neat to have a brand new building where you can be the first one to crack open the hymnbook and enjoy that new book smell. When we first moved to Star way back in 2000, our first Sunday was also the first Sunday that the "old" Star building was used too, so I guess we have a track record now with new buildings in Star, Idaho.

In preparation for the new building, one Sunday Kristin showed me an announcement in the bulletin. It said there would be training for the new organ on a certain day and that all who were interested were invited to attend. I have played the piano since I was 8 years old. I have never really played on the organ before, but it is one of my favorite instruments to listen to. I thought that I would go to the training and see what it was all about. I don't really want to be called as the ward organist right now as I am having waaay too much fun with my 11-year old scouts, but I wanted to know more about the organ.

At the training, one of the 3 organists from our ward was there. She said "I didn't know you played the organ!" and I had to tell her that I never had, but was interested to know what they were all about. We sat through the training in which one of the local music shop owners gave the pointers on how to set up and play the organ. I was soaking it up like a sponge! Everything was so exciting - I have always been amazed at all the sounds the organ can produce, so it was very enlightening for me to now see how to make them. If there is one gripe I have with the "standard" ward organist, it is that it seems to me that they like to play it safe - all the hymns are rendered with pretty much the same registration settings. It reminded me of a time late on my mission where the wife of the Bishop in the Pittsfield Ward was converted as an adult and she was the organist. She played all sorts of different ways and with different sounds - it was quite refreshing, added to my enjoyment of the music and helped me feel the Spirit more as I sang.

So when all was said and done for the evening, Sister Wood asked me if I wanted to learn how to play. I said "ABSOLUTELY!" She told me that she thought it would be a good idea for me to practice and then play prelude and postlude music for Sacrament meeting on a Sunday when I was ready. I agreed and she let me borrow one of her prelude music books.

Since Kristin is in the Relief Society presidency, she was issued keys for the new building in advance of our Sunday meeting time. I asked her if I could borrow the key to get in and practice on the organ. Kristin hates the organ, so I know she thought I was knocked in the head when I wanted to go play it. Well, I love it! It is so fun to play the organ. I do not know how to play the foot pedals yet, but I know that will come in time. I have been looking up anything I can find on the Internet to feed my desire to know more about how to play it. My first time at the organ during church will be on March 6th. I am practicing hard. Hopefully I will do a good job.

I made it the whole week!

Well, I made it through the entire week at my new job. I wouldn't say I am proud of it or anything, I am just thrilled to have a job! I keep telling my new co-workers that I am stoked to be at work. They kind of look at me sideways and get a funny look on their face, like they are not sure what to think. I tell them that I really am excited to be there and they just kind of smirk and walk away, shaking their heads as they go. I can't help it if it's the truth - I am totally jazzed about being at work. I am helping the team by working on an energy simulation model that we have going on for a school district in central Idaho (confidentiality requires that I say no more about the client).

I think I am making a good impression on my new co-workers. I hope that as they get to know me a little better, they can use my talents. I think this process has been hard for Joel. He was promoted and I took his job, but he still has some of the same responsibilities until he can hand them off to me. I have been asking him for tasks and he says something like "Do you want to do this for me?" and I say to him, "If that is what you need me to do, I will do it." Sometimes I think he is afraid I will tell him no. I don't know why he would think that, especially since this is what they hired me to do. Oh well, I will just keep on trying to exceed their expectations and do the best I can all the time.

Here is a picture of Erin on our trip to Stanley last year. When we got to the hill for sledding, there were no tracks in the snow at all, so we ran the snowmobiles down the hill a few times to try to get the snow packed down a little bit and make a trail. When Erin got on the sled to go down the hill, she followed the path for a little bit, then jumped off the trail and almost ran into the rock that is mostly snow-covered in this picture. I don't think she would admit it, but from my vantage point it sure looked like she was having fun.

This one is from the Blue and Gold Banquet last February. Tyler earned his Webelos Rank. As part of the ceremony, all the boys who earned their rank advancements had to get them out of a cupcake without using their hands. The rank badge had been baked in the cupcake and then frosted, so it fun to see that some boys just got after it to get their badge and didn't care how messy they got. Other boys tried not to get any frosting on themselves. Since these were my Webleos boys, I walked around the table behind all of them as they were finding their badges in the middle of the cupcakes. I accidentally bumped a few boys which had the unfortunate result of them getting more frosting on their face than they had hoped. The two boys in the background of this picture just got their Bobcat ranks and had had their faces painted with bobcat whiskers by their moms. It was a great time!

The Adventure Begins

Tomorrow is the big day for me! I feel a lot like a schoolboy going to the first day of classes. I am a little nervous and yet really excited as I begin my next chapter of life tomorrow by starting work for McKinstry Company. I am eagerly looking forward to joining the team and settling in to get things done. Being out of work for the past 7 weeks has for sure been a trying experience for me. I know it is sad to admit, but I have missed being in a routine and schedule. I know that helps to give me some direction and purpose to life. I was telling Kristin last night as I was doing the ironing that it would be the last day of only 6 things to iron. Now all my work shirts and pants will be added in again and I will not be able to finish so quickly.

As I look back on the last 7 weeks, I may begin to consider this unemployment experience as my mid-life crisis, but I haven't been able to get a new sportscar out of it.... Perhaps that will still be in the future, who knows? But whatever happens for the next little while, I know that the Lord is blessing me with what I need.

Switching gears a little bit now and for this new year, I have committed to updating the blog at least once a week, so I also have some pictures to share too. This one is of Conner making snow angels during our trip to Stanley, Idaho in January of 2010. One of my former co-workers, Mick Grefenson, has a cabin that his family owns there in Stanley. Mick and his family took me and my family on a trip to do some sledding and snowmobile riding. It was a great trip and the whole family had fun.

This one is of the Sawtooth Mountains - essentially it is the view out of the picture windows of Mick's cabin. Imagine waking up to this vista every morning! To me that would be worth enduring the -11 degree temperatures that dominate the winter there in Stanley. This picture still reminds me of how COLD it was up there, but I did not mind just cuddling up with Kristin near the fireplace and enjoying it.

Updates! Sort of...

Hey everyone, it has really been too long since I spent any time to update the blog. When I realized that over a year had gone by, I asked Kristin to get me some photos of what we did last year so that I could do the updating. We did, and I was about to update the blog with nice pictures of our family trip to Stanley, Idaho in the Sawtooths for a snowmobile trip; Conner getting his Bobcat award in Cub Scouts; Tyler getting his Webelos and Arrow of Light awards in Cub Scouts; Erin doing volleyball, basketball and getting her Young Woman's Regcognition award; and Jason doing cross country and getting his Eagle Scout award. We had some great photos of all our events and I was committed to spending some of my Christmas break reflecting back on this wonderful year and all the neat things we did as a family, and also looking ahead to 2011 and what interesting things we are planning for the new year...

Then came December 14, 2010... That is another "date that will live in infamy" with me. I was let go from my employment at Engineering Incorporated due to lack of work. It is an understatement to say that it was a big bombshell event in my life. I had never been in the place where I was ready, able and willing to work but didn't have someone to work for.

So I have spent the last few weeks trying to find a new job to support me and the family and do what the Lord wants me to do all at the same time. It has been a very humbling experience for me and I will admit that I was a little afraid of the unknown. But from the moment my former boss told me that "I have to let you go" I have been comforted by the Spirit. I knew that the Lord was in charge and that he would provide for my family. I was concerned, but not worried about what was in store for the family.

One of my former co-workers gave me a lead from a recruiter that called him a few days before I was downsized. I started following up on this lead right away. Then I also had a lead from attending one of my professional societies. The past president stood up in the meeting and told everyone that his company had some openings. I took these two leads and pursued them. It was the normal phone tag sometimes because it was during the holidays, so between Christmas and New Year's, I didn't see much movement in the job search. Soon after the New Year began, I had good phone interviews regarding both these leads, which ultimately ended up in face-to-face interviews at both places; McKinstry Company in Boise and MKK Consulting Engineers in Billings, Montana.

The McKinstry job opportunity was for an Energy Engineer. This person would be doing energy audits, calculations, modeling and reports for the clients. I had done all these things intermittently for my projects as a design consultant, but this would be working for the contractors on the other side from what I was used to. I felt comfortable that I could do this work, it was different, but not unfamiliar to me.

The MKK opening was for a Senior Mechanical Engineer; very, very much similar to the position I had been occupying at EI. The biggest challenge for me would be moving and the logistics of selling the house. With the current market conditions, we are quite underwater in our house (I imagine like most all homeowners out there are), but I knew if this is what the Lord wanted for me, that things would work out.

Well that brings me pretty much up to the present time. I have been offered a position with McKinstry (the Boise job) that is better than what I had with EI before. I came to the realization that MKK would have to make an offer that was out of this world in order for me to accept it. There were so many things that would have needed to be figured out to make it work. I am relieved that I don't have to figure them out, but I know if that is what the Lord wanted me to do, He would have made it possible for me to accomplish it.

In any case, we will be staying in Boise because the Lord still needs us here. I start work on February 7th. I am so grateful to everyone who has done anything to help out me and the family during our trial. We had such an outpouring of love and concern and prayer and food storage and just thoughtful advice during the past 6 weeks. We know that we have been supported in our cause by the Lord and take our job offer in Boise as evidence of all the tender mercies that He gives to us as His children.

I still have the pictures and I will be working them in to future updates. If you want more details on anything, just drop me a line. Hope to hear from you all soon!